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MINOR    WARS   OF    THE    UNITED   STATES. 


A    HISTORY 


OF  THE 


WAR  OF   1812-'15 


BETWEEN   THE 


United  States  and  Great  Britain. 


BY 


ROSSITER    JOHNSO 


ILLUSTRATED. 


NEW  YORK: 

DODD,   MEAD  &  COMPANY, 

Publishers. 


\^ 


^«s^^^ 


H 


' 


A 


Copyright,  1882, 
By  DODD,  MEAD  &  COMPANY. 


CONTENTS. 


FAGB 
I 


21 


38 


CHAPTER  I. 
Causes  ok  the  War 

Franklin's  Prediction,  i,— British  Feeling  toward  the  United 
States,  2. — The  Unsurrendered  Posts,  3. ^Indian  Troubles, 
4. — Impressment  of  Seamen,  7. — The  Decrees  and  Orders 
in  Council,  13.— Declaration  of  War.  18. 

CHAPTER  n.  * 

The  Detroit  Campaign 

First  Bloodshed,  21.— Attitude  of  Political  Parties,  22,— Plans 
for  Invading  Canada,  26.— Capture  of  Michilimackinac,  30. 
—Engagements  at  the  River  Raisin  and  Maguaga,  31,— Battle 
of  Chicago,  32.— Hull's  Surrender,  36. 

CHAPTER   HI. 

Fights  with  the  Indians 

Tecumseh's  Scheme,  38.— Harrison's  March  to  Fort  Wayne 
39-— Defence  of  Fort  Harrison,  41— Defence  of  Fort  Madi- 
son, 43.— Ball's  Fight,  44. 

CHAPTER  IV.' 

The  Battle  of  Queenstovvn .(^ 

F'ght  at  Gananoqui,  46.— Expediti:,n  against  Ogdensburtr   47 
~"   iu°"ivf-^P*'"'^^  ^"^^  War-vesbds,  48.-Cathering  of  Forces 
on  the  Niagara,  49.— Battle  of  Queenstown,  50.— Death  of 
General  Brock,  55. 

CHAPTER  V. 
War  on  the  Ocean 

The  /Ws/,/„^t  and  the  Z,V//..  Be/i,  62.-The  /Ws^J^n/  and*  Ihe 
B,/vu/eni,  64.-HUII  s  Race,  66.-The  Cons/i/u/wu  and  the 
Guen^ere,  68.-Effect  of  the  Victory,  7i.-The  lVas/>  and 
the /'ro/ir,  73.— The  [/ni/e,/  Sfa/t-s  and  the  Macedottian,  76 
—  Vhe  Constitution  and  the /rtz/.?,  79.— Nelson's  Prediction 


61 


« 


IV 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  VI.  PAOB 

Minor  Battles  in  tiik  Wkst 84 

Winchester's  Expedition,  84. — Figiit  at  Frenchtown,  85. — 
Massacre  at  the  Raisin,  87. — Siege  of  Fort  Meigs,  90. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

War  on  tke  Lakes 97 

The  Armaments,  98. — Preliminary  Operations,  99. — Expedi- 
tion against  York,  100. — Death  of  (leneral  l*il<e,  i^n. — 
Capture  of  Fort  George,  107. — Attack  on  Sackett's  Har- 
bor, 112. — Battle  of  Stony  Creek,  118. 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

Battle  of  the  Thames  140 

Harrison's  Advance,  140. — Proctor's  Retreat  141. — Nature  of 
the  Ground,  141. — Disposition  of  the  Indians,  143. — The 
Battle,  144. — Death  of  Tecumseh,  146. — Flight  of  Proctor, 
146. — Results  of  the  Campaign,  148. 

CHAPTER    IX. 
Wilkinson's  ExrEnrnoN 149 

Armstrong's  Plans,  149. — Position  of  the  Troops,  150. — Descent 
of  the  St.  Lawrence,  152 — Battle  of  Chrysler's  Field,  154. 
— Hampton's  Defeat,  159. — Cost  of  the  Campaign,  160. — 
Effects  on  the  Niagara  Frontier,  161. — Capture  of  Fort 
Niagata,  163. — Destruction  of  Buffalo  and  other  Villages, 
166. 

CHAPTER   X. 
War  IN  THE  South 168 

Engagement  at  Lewistown,  168.- -Fight  in  Delaware  Bay, 
169. — Burning  of  Havre  de  (jrace,  Georgetown,  and 
PVedericktovvn,  171. — Battle  at  Craney  Island,  172. — Destruc- 
tion of  Hampton,  176. — Troubles  with  the  Southern  Indians, 
178. — Fight  at  Burnt  Corn  Creek,  179. — Massacre  at  Fort 
Mims,  1S2. — Jackson's  Campaign,  183. — Fights  at  Tallus- 
chatches,  Talladega,  the  Hillabee  Towns,  Autosse,  and 
Econochaca,  183. — Dale's  Canoe  Fight,  188. 

CHAPTER  XL 

Naval  Ba itles  of  1813  194 

The  Hornet  and  the  Peacock,  195. — The  Chesapeake  and  the 
Shannon,  197. — The  Argtts  and  the  Pelican,  201. — The  En- 
ieifrise  and  the  Boxer,  202. — Decatur  Blockaded  at  New 
London,  204. — A  New  Embargo,  206. 


-r 


CONiENTS. 


ao7 


CHAPTER   XII. 

Trivateers 

Their  Number  and  Importance,  207.— Jefferson's  Opinion 
of  them,  208.— A  London  Journal's  Prediction,  211.— Some 
of  their  Captures,  and  some  of  their  Battles,  212.— The  )V/«- 
kce's  Laugiiabie  Exploit,  222. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Peace  Negotiations.— Campaign  against  the  Creeks.  ...  223 

Condition  of  Affairs  at  the  Opening  of  the  Third  Year,  223.— 

Congressional  Appropriations,  224— Russian  Offers  of  Medi- 

ation,  225. — Jackson's  ['reparations,  227. — Battles  of  Emuc- 

fau,  Enotachopco,  and  Horseshoe  Bend,  227. 

CHAPTER   XIV. 

Brown's  Campaign  on  the  Niagara 231 

The  March  to  Buffalo,  231.— Capture  of  Fort  Erie,  232. — 
Battle  of  Chippewa,  234. — Brown's  Plans,  238. — Battle  of 
Lundy's  Lane,  240. — Siege  of  Fort  Erie  by  the  British,  245. 

CHAPTER    XV. 
The  Second  Invasion  of  New  York 251 

Fight  at  La  Colic  Mill,  251. — Ship-building,  253. — Yeo's  Attack 
on  Oswego,  254. — Affairs  at  Charlotte  and  Poultneyville, 
255. — Fight  at  Sandy  Creek,  257. — Izard's  Failure  on  the 
Niagara,  258. — Expedition  against  Michilimackinac,  259. — 
Prevost's  Advance  into  New  York,  260. — Its  Purpose,  261. — 
Battle  of  Plattsburg,  265. 

CHAPTER    XVI. 

Operations  Along  the  Coast 268 

Capture  of  Eastport  and  Castine,  268. — Occupation  of  Territory 
in  Maine,  269. — Destruction  of  the  Frigate  Adams,  270. — ■ 
Bombardment  of  Stonington,  271. — Affairs  at  Wareham, 
Scituate,  and  Booth  bay,  273. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 
The  Washington  Campaign 274 

Ross's  Expedition  against  Washington,  276. — Battle  of  Bla- 
densburg,  278. — Destruction  of  the  Capital,  282. — Capitula- 
tion of  Alexandria,  283. — Comments  of  the  London  Times, 
284. — Expedition  against  Baltimore,  285. — Death  of  Sir 
Peter  Parker,  286.— Battle  of  North  Point,  286.— Death  of 
General  Ross,  287. — Bombardment  of  Fort  McHenry,  288. 
— How  a  Famous  Song  was  written,  289. 


:^ 


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vl 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   XVIII.  PACK 

Navai,  Battles  OF  1814 290 

Porter's  Cruise  in  the  Kssex,  290. — Ills  Campaijjn  against 
the  Typees,  296. — Destruction  of  the  Urilish  Whaling  Interest 
in  the  I'aciCic,  310. — IJattle  with  the  Plinhe  and  the  Cherub, 
312. —  I'he  I'tixcock  MvX  the  Epenier,  '})'io. — 'Ihe  /fW/ and 
the  A'tim/ifr,  321. — 'Vhc  Hasp  and  the  Atoh,  322. — Destruc- 
tion of  the  General  Anustrou}^,  323. — Loss  of  the  T resident, 
325. — The  Cotislitution  Captures  the  Cyane  and  the  Levant, 
325. — The  Ilorttet  anil  the  Penguin,  325. 

CHAPTER   XIX. 

The  Hartford  Convention 326 

Attitude  of    the   Federalists,  Real    and    Imputed,    326. — The 
Convention  at  Hartford,  328. — Its  Popular  Reputation,  330. 
.    — What  General  Scott  did  not  say  at  Chippewa,  330. 

CHAPTER   XX. 

The  Campaign  on  the  Gulf  Coast 332 

British  Occupation  of  Pensacola,  332. — Negotiations  with  La- 
fitte,  333. — Expedition  against  Mobile,  333. — Capture  of 
Pensacola,  334. — Defence  of  New  Orleans,  336. — The  Battles 
before  the  City,  337. — Defeat  of  the  British,  344. — Losses, 


345. 


CHAPTER   XXI. 


Peace 346 

The  Treaty  of  Ghent,  346. — Treatment  of  Prisoners,  348. — 
Losses  and  Gains  by  the  War,  349. — Conclusion,  350. 


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A  HISTORY  OF  THE  WAR 
OF  1812-15. 


CHAPTER   I. 


CAUSES  OF  THE  WAR. 


Franklin's  Trcdiction— British  Feeling  toward  the  United  States— 
The  Unsurrendered  Posts — Indian  Troubles — Impressment  of 
Seamen — The  Decrees  and  Orders  in  Council — Declaration  of 
War. 

It  is  a  singular  fact  that  the  deepest  resentments 
and  the  most  implacable  hatreds  are  not  those 
which  arise  from  a  sense  of  injuries  received,  but 
from  injuries  bestowed.  The  victim  of  a  deliberate 
wrong  seldom  treasures  up  a  purpose  of  revenge,  or 
demands  anything  more  than  a  restoration  of  his 
rights  ;  but  the  oppressor  always  hates  those  who 
have  escaped  from  his  oppression. 

That  wise  old  philosopher,  Ben  Franklin,  who  died 
within  seven  years  after  the  acknowledgment  of 
our  country  as  a  separate  nation  in  1783,  foresaw, 
even  then,  what  did  not  take  place  till  more  than 
twenty  years  after  his  death.  He  declared  that  the 
war  which  had  just  closed  in  the  surrender  of  Corn- 
wallis  was  only  the  war  of  Revolution,  and  that  the 
war  of  Independence  was  yet  to  be  fought. 


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CAUSES  Of  thil  war. 


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When,  in  June,  1785,  George  III.  received  John 
Adams  as  United  States  Minister  at  his  court,  he 
said  :  "I  was  the  last  man  in  the  kingdom,  Sir,  to 
consent  to  the  independence  of  America  ;  but,  now 
it  is  granted,  I  sha!'  be  the  last  man  in  the  world  to 
sanction  a  violation  of  it."  If  the  King  was  sin- 
cere in  this  declaration,  he  must  have  had  —  as 
Lincoln. said  of  himself  when  President  —  very  little 
influence  with  the  Administration  ;  for,  almost  from 
the  first,  there  was  systematic  disregard  of  the 
rights  of  the  new  nation,  with  an  evident  purpose 
to  humiliate  her  people  and  cripple  their  commerce. 

It  was  hard  for  the  British  Ministry  and  British 
commanders  to  realize  that  those  whom  they  had  so 
lately  attempted  to  chastise  as  rebels,  that  they 
might  again  tax  them  as  subjects,  were  now,  after 
their  triumph  in  a  long  war,  and  by  the  terms  of  a 
solemn  treaty,  entitled  to  the  same  privileges  on  the 
ocean,  and  the  same  courtesies  in  diplomacy,  that 
were  accorded  to  the  oldest  nation  of  Europe.  They 
knew  as  little  of  the  spirit  of  the  American  people 
and  the  mighty  destinies  within  the  coming  cen- 
tury, as  of  the  resources  of  the  vast  continent  which 
lay  behind  that  thin  line  of  civilization  along  the 
Atlantic  coast. 

This  failure  to  realize,  or  reluctance  to  admit,  that 
the  people  of  America  were  no  longer  British  sub- 


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jects,  and  that  the  United  States  was  an  indepen- 
lent  nation,  was  forcibly  illustrated  in  England's 
lisregard,  for  thirty  years,  of  an  important  portion 
►f  the  Tn*aty  of  1783.  It  was  there  stipulated  that 
the  milit^.ry  posts  on  our  western  frontier  should  be 
surrendered  to  our  Government.  Yet  not  only  did 
ihe  British  forces  retain  possession  of  them,  but 
from  them  they  supplied  the  Indians  with  arms  and 
immunition,  and  instigated  savage  hostilities  against 
the  American  settlements.  Attempts  have  been 
lade  to  deny  this,  but  the  proof  is  unquestionable. 
Lord  Dorchester,  Governor  of  Canada,  called  a 
rouncil  of  the  Indian  tribes,  engaged  to  supply  them 
'•th  munitions  of  war,  encouraged  them  to  enmity 
igainst  the  United  States,  and  gave  them  to  under- 
stand that  they  would  have  the  co-operaticn  of  his 
rovernment.  These  facts  were  published  in  British 
icwspapers,  and  when  the  British  Minister  was 
asked  to  account  for  them,  he  could  give  no  satis- 
factory answer.  In  pursuance  of  this  policy,  when 
^ar  broke  out,  in  18 12,  the  English  commanders 
lot  only  employed  Indian  allies,  but  offered  and 
)aid  a  regular  bounty  for  American  scalps.  It 
kems  incredible  that  such  things  could  have  been 
lone,  only  seventy  years  ago,  by  one  of  the  most 
mlightened  governments  on  earth.  And  yet  in  our 
[own  day  we  have  seen  the  performance  repeated, 


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CAUSES  OF   THE    WAR. 


[1812. 


when  the  Engh'sh  in  South  Africa  armed  the  native 
savages  with  the  best  English  rifles,  that  they  might 
make  war  upon  the  peaceful  and  industrious  Boers 
of  the  Transvaal  Republic. 

But  our  people  had  a  grievance,  of  more  than 
twenty  years'  standing,  which  was  even  more  seri- 
ous than  this.  While  the  frontiersman  was  con- 
tending with  British  treachery  and  Indian  ferocity, 
which  combined  to  hinder  the  development  of  our 
inland  resources,  the  American  sailor — then  the  best 
in  the  world,  as  was  proved  by  the  result  of  the  war 
— was  confronted  by  a  monstrous  policy  intended  to 
check  our  growing  commerce  and  recruit  the  Eng- 
lish navy  at  our  expense. 

England  was  at  this  time  the  greatest  commer- 
cial nation  in  the  world.  Her  merchant  ships  and 
whalers  were  found  on  every  sea,  gathering  and  dis- 
tributing the  productions  of  every  land.  In  herself 
she  was  but  an  island,  not  larger  than  one  of  our 
States — a  very  beautiful  and  fertile  island,  it  is  true  ; 
but  if  her  jurisdiction  had  not  extended  beyond  its 
borders,  she  would  have  been  hardly  more  impor- 
tant than  Switzerland  or  Sweden.  But  in  her  colo- 
nies and  her  commerce  she  was  powerful.  And  now 
the  finest  of  those  colonies,  casting  off  her  authority 
in  the  only  successful  rebellion  ever  waged  agrinrt 
it,    were   rapidly   building  up   a  mercantile   marine 


[l8l2. 

native 
might 
Boers 

e  than 
re  seri- 
is  con- 
irocity, 
of  our 
he  best 
the  war 
nded  to 
le   Eng- 

ommer- 
iips  and 
ind  dis- 
herself 
of  our 
is  true  ; 
ond  its 
impor- 
r  colo- 
nd  now 
thority 
agrinst 
marine 


1812.] 


CAUSES  OF   THE    WAR. 


that  threatened  to  rival  her  own.  They  had  thou- 
sands of  miles  of  seacoast,  with  innumerable  fine 
harbors  ;  they  had  behind  them,  not  a  crowded 
island,  but  a  virgin  continent  ;  the  construction  of 
their  government  and  society  was  such  that  the 
poorest  man  before  the  mast  might  not  unreason- 
ably hope  some  day  to  command  a  ship.  With  all 
this,  they  were  not  involved  in  the  wars  which  were 
then  distracting  Europe. 

Being  neutrals,  of  course  they  enjoyed  those  ad- 
vantages which  England  has  never  been  slow  to 
reap  when  she  herself  has  been  a  neutral  while  her 
neighbors  were  at  war.  Their  ships  could  carry 
goods  which  in  any  other  ships  would  have  been 
seized  by  hostile  cruisers.  England  was  now  —  as 
she  truly  said,  in  extenuation  of  her  depredations 
on  American  commerce  —  struggling  for  her  very 
existence,  against  mighty  armies  led  by  the  ablest 
general  that  had  appeared  since  Alexander.  Many 
of  the  most  desirable  ports  were  closed  to  her  mer- 
chantmen, her  entire  coast  was  declared  by  Napo- 
leon to  be  under  blockade  ;  and  it  was  exasperating 
in  the  last  degree  to  see  these  misfortunes  redound- 
ing to  the  advantage  of  a  people  whom  she  had  so 
lately  treated  as  rebels  and  outlaws,  whose  military 
prowess  she  had  affected  to  despise,  until  it  had  dis- 
armed her  legions  and  conquered  an  honorable  peace. 


CAUSES  OF   THE   PVAH. 


[l8i2. 


If 


The  motive  that  controlled  British  policy  was 
plainly  revealed  in  an  editorial  article  which  ap- 
peared in  the  London  Independent  Whig  (January 
loth,  i8 1 3),  after  the  war  had  been  begun  and  the 
British  public  had  been  astounded  by  the  capture  of 
two  or  three  of  their  finest  frigates.  "  Accustomed, 
as  we  have  hitherto  been,  to  a  long  and  uninterrupt- 
ed tide  of  success  upon  the  watery  element,  and 
claiming  an  absolute  and  exclusive  sovereignty  over 
the  ocean,  to  be  defeated  there,  where  we  securely 
rested  our  proudest  hopes  and  wishes,  might  reason- 
ably be  expected  to  check  our  insolence  and  mortify 
our  pride.  In  this  view  of  the  case,  and  if  we  could 
not  flatter  ourselves  that  it  would  have  the  effect  of 
inducing  us  to  abate  somewhat  of  our  unwarrant- 
able pretensions,  and  listen  to  terms  of  moderation 
and  forbearance,  our  regret  would  be  sensibly  dimin- 
ished ;  since  even  the  misfortune,  severe  as  it  is, 
might  be  converted  into  a  great  and  lasting  benefit 
to  the  nation  at  large.  But  the  mischief  will  not 
confine  itself  here  ;  the  charm  of  the  invincibility  of 
the  British  navy,  like  that  of  the  Grecian  warrior, 
being  destroyed,  the  terror  that  has  long  preceded 
our  flag,  and  commanded  the  abject  homage  of  sur- 
rounding nations,  will  henceforv/ard  be  dissipated, 
and  every  maritime  power  with  whom  we  may  be 
involved   in  war  will  fight  with  redoubled  zeal,  ar- 


I8l2.] 


CAUSES  OF   THE   WAR. 


7 


dently  and  anxiously  hoping  to  lower  our  ascendency 
and  establish  the  freedom  of  the  seas."  That  was 
it  exactly  ;  they  were  afraid  somebody  would  estab- 
lish the  freedom  of  the  seas,  and  at  that  time  the 
Americans  seemed  most  likely  to  do  it. 

During  the  Napoleonic  wars,  in  the  early  years  of 
the  present  century,  England's  navy  consisted  of 
about  one  thousand  vessels.  As  she  was  recruiting 
this  vast  squadron  by  perpetual  press-gangs,  and 
maintaining  its  discipline  by  unstinted  flogging, 
while  at  the  same  time  the  flourishing  merchant 
marine  of  the  United  States  Avas  paying  more  lib- 
eral wages  to  men  before  the  mast  than  could  be  ob- 
tained on  the  English  merchantmen,  it  might  have 
been  expected  that  the  number  of  desertions  would 
only  be  limited  by  the  number  of  opportunities  to  de- 
sert. Many  of  the  deserters  undoubtedly  found  em- 
ployment on  American  ships,  where  British  captains 
soon  established  the  custom  of  searching  for  and 
reclaiming  them.  This  was  a  gross  violation  of  the 
sovereignty  of  the  United  States,  for  the  deck  of  an 
American  vessel  is  to  all  intents  and  purposes 
American  territory  ;  yet  our  Government  permitted 
it,  and  only  complained  of  what  were  considered  its 
incidental  abuses. 

The  troubles  that  followed  from  this  beginning 
remind  us  of  the  fable  of  the  camel  and  the  tailor. 


8 


CAUSES  OF   THE    WAR. 


[l8l2. 


'  i  I 


England's  next  step  was  to  claim  that  no  British 
subject  had  a  right  to  enter  any  military  or  marine 
service  but  the  British,  and  that  any  who  did  so 
might  be  taken  by  British  authorities  wherever  found 
— just  as  if  they  were  deserters. 

But  presently  it  appeared  that  something  more 
was  needed  in  order  to  give  Great  Britain  the  full 
benefit  of  these  assumptions.  An  English  war-vessel 
stops  an  American  merchantman  on  the  high  sea, 
and  sends  an  officer  with  armed  men  on  board  to 
inspect  the  crew  and  take  off  any  that  are  British 
subjects.  The  officer  selects  some  of  the  ablest  sea- 
men he  finds,  and  claims  them.  Immediately  a 
dispute  arises  ;  the  seamen  say  they  are  American 
citizens — or  at  least  not  British  subjects  ;  the  officer 
says  they  were  born  subjects  of  the  English  king, 
and  can  never  throw  off  their  allegiance.  Here  is 
a  question  of  fact,  and  by  all  the  principles  of  law 
and  justice  it  would  devolve  upon  the  officer  to 
prove  his  claim.  But  as  the  purpose  was,  not  to  do 
justice,  but  to  recruit  the  British  navy,  the  admis- 
sion of  any  such  principle  would  hardly  answer  the 
purpose.  So  the  British  Government  set  up  the 
doctrine  that  the  burden  of  proof  rested  with  the 
accused  ;  that  is,  any  sailor  who  was  unable  to  prove 
on  the  spot,  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  boarding 
officer,  that  he  was  not  a  British  subject,  was  to  be 


I8l2.j 


CAUSES  OF   THE    WAR. 


considered  as  such,  and  carried  off  to  serve  against 
his  will  on  a  British  ship. 

The  English  naval  commanders  were  now  fully 
equipped  for  this  new  method  of  .recruiting,  and  it 
soon  became  the  practice  for  them  to  board  Ameri- 
can merchantmen  and  take  off  as  many  of  the  best 
sailors  as  they  happened  to  be  in  need  of  at  the  time, 
with  very  little  reference  to  their  nationality. 
Some  of  the  men  thus  forcibly  carried  off  were  re- 
leased by  order  of  the  Admiralty,  on  the  application 
of  the  American  Consul,  with  the  apology  that,  as 
English  and  Americans  spoke  the  same  language 
and  were  of  the  same  race,  it  was  often  difficult  to 
distinguish  between  them.  But  as  a  matter  of  fact 
the  sailors  thus  impressed  included  men  of  nearly 
every  European  nationality  —  Germans,  Swedes, 
Danes,  Portuguese,  and  even  negroes.  In  1811  it 
was  believed  that  more  than  six  thousand  American 
sailors  were  serving  under  compulsion  in  the  British 
navy  ;  and  Mr.  Lyman,  United  States  Consul  at 
London,  estimated  the  number  at  fourteen  thousand. 

This  was  only  the  natural  result  of  the  original 
error  committed  by  our  Government  when  it  admit- 
ted the  right  to  search  for  and  carry  away  deserters. 
And  the  impressments  took  place  not  only  on  the 
high  seas  but  often  within  the  three  miles  from  shore* 
to  which  a  maritime  country's  jurisdiction  extends. 


'i& 


lO 


CAUSES  OF   rUE    WAR. 


[1812. 


and  sometimes  in  the  very  harbors  of  the  United 
States.  Coasting  and  fishing  schooners  were  robbed 
of  their  men,  and  occasionally  fired  upon  and  plun- 
dered ;  while  of  larger  vessels  bound  for  distant 
waters,  the  crews  were  sometimes  so  depleted  by  a 
visit  from  a  British  man-of-war  that  the  voyage  was 
broken  up  and  the  ship  compelled  to  return  to  port. 

The  greatest  of  these  outrages  was  the  capture  of 
the  Chesapeake,  a  United  States  frigate,  by  the 
British  man-of-war  Leopard,  June  23d,  1806.  The 
Chesapeake,  which  had  just  left  Hampton  Roads  for 
a  cruise,  had  not  been  put  in  fighting  trim  ;  not  a 
single  gun  was  ready  for  use.  Her  commander. 
Commodore  James  Barron,  refused  to  permit  a 
search  for  British  deserters,  and  the  Leopard  there- 
upon fired  several  broadsides  into  her,  when  she 
struck  her  flag.  Three  of  her  crew  were  killed,  and 
eighteen  wounded.  The  Leopard  carried  away  four 
of  her  men,  claiming  them  as  deserters  ;  but  it  was 
afterward  proved  that  three  of  them  were  Ameri- 
cans, and  they  were  released,  while  the  fourth  was 
tried  and  executed  at  Halifax. 

When  the  Chesapeake  returned  to  Norfolk,  Va., 
with  the  news,  it  created  the  greatest  excitement 
the  country  had  seen  since  the  Revolutionary  war. 
Indignation  meetings  were  held,  and  the  people 
seemed  almost  unanimous  in  a  desire  to  plunge  at 


l8i2.] 


CAUSES  OF  THE    IV A R. 


It 


once  into  war.  A  schooner  was  sent  to  England  by 
our  Government,  carrying  instructions  to  the  Ameri- 
can Minister  to  demand  apology  and  reparation. 
These  were  made,  after  a  fashion  ;  but  the  English 
(liwcrnment  refused  to  give  up  the  right  of  search. 
President  Jefferson,  who  thought  anything,  under 
any  circumstances,  was  better  than  war,  issued  a 
>roclamation  ordering  all  British  vessels  of  war  then 
In  United  States  waters  to  leave  at  once. 

Meanwhile,  England  had  attempted  to  revive 
diat  was  known  as  "  the  rule  of  1756."  During 
the  war  of  that  year  she  had  tried  to  establish  a  rule 
that  neutral  nations  were  not  at  liberty  to  trade  witu 
the  colonics  of  a  belligerent  power  from  which,  in 
limes  of  peace,  they  were  excluded  by  the  parent 
ktate.  For  instance,  if  in  time  of  peace  France 
)ermitted  none  but  her  own  vessels  to  trade  at  the 
K  rts  of  certain  of  her  colonies,  she  should  not  be 
llowed,  when  at  war,  to  have  that  trade  carried  on 
r  her  in  vessels  belonging  to  a  neutral  nation  ;  and 
such  vessels  attempted  it,  they  should  be  liable  to 
pture  and  confiscation  by  cruisers  of  the  nation 
hich  was  at  war  with  France.  Such  a  regulation 
l)f  course  belongs  to  the  domain  of  international 
w,  and  cannot  be  established  by  one  nation  alone, 
rule  had  been  frequently  disregarded  by  Eng- 
herself,  and  had  never  received  the  sanction  of 


"^ri 


f^ 


i  r 


12 


CAUSES  OF   rilE    WAR. 


[i8i-. 


other  powers  ;  but  by  orders  in  council,  of  Novem 
ber  6th,  1793,  she  secretly  instructed  her  naval  com 
manders  to  enforce  it  against  American  vessels  trad- 
ing to  the  French  colonies  of  the  West  Indies.  The 
United  States  Government  sent  commissioners  to 
London,  English  commissioners  were  appointed  to 
meet  them,  and  a  treaty  of  "  amity,  commerce,  and 
navigation"  was  concluded,  which  was  ratified  by 
both  governments  in  1795.  Yet  the  capture  and 
condemnation  of  American  vessels  went  on  almost 
as  before. 

In  the  early  European  wars  of  this  century,  the 
days  of  paper  blockade — a  blockade  which  consists 
merely  in  a  proclamation,  without  the  presence  of 
armed  vessels  to  enforce  it — were  not  yet  over,  and 
on  May  i6th,  1806,  England  declared  the  whole 
coast  of  the  Continent,  from  Brest  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Elbe,  to  be  in  a  state  of  blockade.  Napoleon 
retaliated  by  issuing  from  Berlin  a  counter  decree, 
dated  November  21st,  1806,  which  declared  the 
entire  coast  of  Great  Britain  to  be  under  blockade, 
and  prohibited  any  vessel  which  sailed  from  a  British 
port  from  entering  a  Continental  port.  England 
then,  by  orders  in  council,  published  November 
17th,  1807,  prohibited  all  neutral  trade  with  France 
and  her  allies,  except  in  vessels  that  had  first  entered 
a  British  port.     As  paper  and  ink  were  cheap,  and 


I8I2.] 


CAUSES  OF   THE    WAR. 


13 


"•Jovem 
al  com 
ds  trad- 
s.  The 
Dners  to 
inted  to 
:rce,  and 
lifted  by 
turc  and 
n  almost 

tury,  the     '\ 
\  consists 
esence  of 
over,  and 
he  whole 
mouth  of 
Napoleon 
;r  decree, 
lared   the 
blockade, 
a  British 
England 
ovember 
th  France 
st  entered 
:heap,  and 


by  this  time  so  little  was  left  of  the  rights  of  neutrals 
that  it  was  hardly  worth  while  to  regard  them  at  all, 
Napoleon  tried  his  hand  at  one  more  decree.     Un- 
der date   of   Milan,  December  17th,  1807,  he   pro- 
claimed  that  any  vessel   which   should   submit   to 
search  by  British  cruisers,   or  pay  any  tax  to  the 
British  Government,  should  be  forfeit  as  good  prize. 
These  so-called   measures  of  retaliation  —  which 
[became  famous  as  the  "  orders  in  council,"  and  the 
I"  Berlin  and  Milan  decrees" — had  very  little  effect 
jtipon  the  people  who  were  at  war,  but  they  laid 
some  of  the  heaviest  penalties  of  war  upon  the  one 
laritime  nation  that  was  at  peace  with  all.     Instead 
)f  resorting  to  war  at  once,  the  United  States  Gov- 
ernment, being  as  well  able  as  any  other  to  issue  a 
foolish   proclamation,  laid    an  embargo,  December 
{2d,   1807,  upon   all   shipping   in  American    ports, 
)rohibiting  exportations  therefrom.     This  measure 
tnet  with  violent  opposition  in  New  England,  which 
^as  more  largely  interested  in  commerce  than  any 
Other  part  of  the  country.     The  coast  of  New  Eng- 
land presented  innumerable  harbors,  and  her  forests 
|vere  full  of  the  finest  ship-timber,  while  in  agricul- 
ture she  could  not  compete  with  the  States  having 
^cher  soils   and  a   less   rigorous   climate.     Cotton- 
jppinning  was  in  its  infancy,  and  the  manufactures 
lat  were  to  employ  her  water-powers  had  not  been 


i 


1 

'1 

'  I 


CAUSES  Of-    77/ E    WAR. 


ri8i2. 


developed.  She  naturally  and  properly  looked  to 
the  carryinjT  trade  as  her  best  means  of  livelihood. 
The  orders  in  council  and  the  Berlin  and  Milan  de- 
crees imposed  great  risks  and  unjust  restrictions  upon 
it,  but  did  not  altogether  destroy  it  ;  the  embargo 
suppressed  it  at  once. 

In  March,  1809,  Congress  repealed  the  embargo, 
and  substituted  a  system  of  non-importation  and 
non-intercourse  with  France  and  Great  Britain. 
Voyages  to  their  dominions,  and  trade  in  articles 
produced  by  them,  were  prohibited  ;  but  it  was 
provided  that  whenever  either  of  those  nations 
should  reneal  its  decrees  against  neutral  commerce, 
the  restriction  should  be  removed  as  to  that  nation. 

This  at  last  produced  some  effect,  and  the  French 
Government  revoked  the  Berlin  and  Milan  decrees, 
the  revocation  to  take  effect  on  the  ist  of  Novem- 
ber, 1810  ;  the  letter  of  the  French  Minister  com- 
municating the  fact  to  the  American  Minister  adding 
that  it  was  "  clearly  understood  that  the  English 
orders  in  council  were  to  be  revoked  at  the  same 
time."  In  August  of  that  year,  Hon.  William 
Pinkney,  United  States  Minister  at  London,  laid  this 
before  the  British  Government,  but  was  told  that 
the  English  decrees  would  be  revoked  "  after  the 
French  revocation  should  have  actually  taken 
place."     This  was  a  most  palpable  evasion,  since  it 


■  ,-r;  _ 

t^lesl 

.    uf 

tlon> 

piac( 
le 


(l8l3. 


I8I2.] 


CAUSES  OF    THE    IV A R. 


«s 


:cd  to 
ihood. 
ian  de- 
ls upon 
iTibargo 

Tibargo, 
ion  and 
Britain, 
articles 
t  it  was 
nations 
Drnmerce, 
at  nation, 
e  French 
|-i  decrees, 
(  Novem- 
lister  com- 
pter adding 
e    English 
the  same 
William 
,n,  laid  this 
.s  told  that 
'•  after  the 
ally     taken 
on,  since  it 


I   is  very  common  for  treaties  and  governmental  orders 
'^  to  contain  clauses  which  render  them  operative  only 
%  in  certain  contingencies,  and  it  was  the  easiest  thing 
in  the  world  for  England  to  give  her  revocation  pre- 
cisely the  same  form  as  that  of  France,  when  each 
would  have  put   the   other   in    force   on    the    date 
named.     If  any  further  proof  had  been  wanted  that 
the  British  Government  was  determined  to  suppress 
American  commerce,  at  least  till  her  own  ships  could 
resume  the  carrying  trade  of  the  world,  it  was  sup- 
plied when  in    1812  Lord  Castlereagh,  Minister  for 
Foreign  Affairs,  declared  officially  that  "  the  decrees 
of  Berlin  and    Milan    must   not   be   repealed   singly 
and  specially,  in  relation  to  the  United  States,  but 
must  be  repealed  also  as  to  all  other  neutral  nations  ; 
and  that  in  no  less  extent  of  a  repeal  ot  the  French 
decrees  had  the  British  Government  pledged  itself 
to  repeal  the  orders  in  council."     That  is,  the  rights 
pf  the  United  States  as  a  neutral  nation  were  not  to 
je  regarded  by  England,  unless  the  United  States 
^uld  induce  or  compel   France  to  regard  not  only 
^ese  rights  but  those  of  all  other  neutral  nations  ! 
,    ,:  With  this  tangle  of  orders,  decrees,  and  proclama- 
^ns,  with  an  important  part  of  the  Treaty  of  1783 
unfulfilled,  with  unlawful  impressments  daily  taking 
^lace  on  the  high  seas,  and  with  no  disposition  on 
e  part  of  the  chief  aggressor  to  right  tnese  wrongs, 


r 


16 


CAUSES  OF   THE    WAR. 


[1812. 


II 


ii 


it  is  difficult  to  see  how  negotiations  could  have 
been  continued  longer,  or  the  alternative  of  war 
avoided.  On  the  first  day  of  June,  1812,  President 
Madison  sent  a  message  to  Congress,  in  which  he 
set  forth  the  facts  that  necessitated  war  ;  Congress 
accordingly  declared  war  on  the  i8th,  and  the  next 
day  the  President  proclaimed  it.  On  the  23d,  be- 
fore this  news  was  received,  England  revoked  her 
orders  in  council,  thus  removing  one  of  the  griev- 
ances, but  still  leaving  those  which  amply  justified 
the  declaration. 

It  thus  appears  that  the  immediate  and  specific 
causes  of  the  war  of  18 12  between  the  United 
States  and  Great  Britain  were  complex  ;  but  the 
general  cause,  the  philosophic  reason,  was  simply 
the  determined  purpose  manifested  by  England  to 
nullify  and  render  valueless  the  political  indepen- 
dence gained  by  the  American  colonies  in  the  Revo- 
lution. 

Since  the  inauguration  of  President  Jefferson,  in 
1801,  the  Government  had  been  in  the  hands  of  the 
Republicans,  and  all  measures  looking  toward  war 
with  England  were  opposed  by  the  party  out  of 
power; — the  Federalists.  The  young  reader  must 
not  be  confused  by  the  change  of  names  which  polit- 
ical parties  have  undergone  between  that  day  and 
this.     The  Republican  party  of  Jefferson's  day  was 


I8l2.] 


CAUSES  OF   THE   iVAH. 


17 


President 
which  he 
Congress 
the  next 
:  23d,  be- 
voked  her 
the  griev- 
y  justified 

id  specific 
le    United 
c  ;  but  the 
as  simply 
n  gland  to 
I  indepen- 
the  Revo- 


the  predecessor  of  what  is  now  called  the  Demo- 
cratic party  ;  while  the  Republican  party  of  our  own 
day  is  to  some  extent  the  successor  of  the  Federal 
party  of  that  day.  Presidents  Washington  and 
Adams  were  Federalists,  or  what  would  now  be 
called  Republicans  ;  Presidents  Jefferson,  Madison, 
and  Monroe  were  Republicans,  or  what  would  now 
be  called  Democrats. 

The  Federalists  in  Congress  protested  against  the 
declaration  of  war  ;  and  this  protest  was  repeated  in 
^  every  possible  form  by  the  Federal  newspapers,  by 
mass-meetings,  in  numerous  political  pamphlets,  and 
I  even    in  many  pulpits.     The  opposition  was  espe- 
[cially  strong  in  the  New  England  States.     The  argu- 
[ments  of  those  who  opposed  the  war  were,  that  the 
[country  was  not  prepared  for  such  a  struggle,  could 
not  afford  it,  and  would  find  it  a  hopeless  undertak- 
ing ;  that   the   war   policy   had    been    forced    upon 
Madison's  administration  by  the  Republican  party, 
in  order  to  strengthen  that   party  and   keep   it   in 
power  ;  that  if  we  had  cause  for  war  with  England, 
we  had  cause  for  war  with  France  also,  and  it  was 
unreasonable  to  declare  war  against   one   of   those 
Ipowers  and  not  against  both.     The  last  argument 
was  the  one  most  vehemently  urged,  and  the  war 
[party  was  denounced  and  sneered  at  as  making  our 
iGovernment  a  tool  of  P'rance. 


[f 


I  > 


I!    I 


i\ 


I     I 


t 


W' 


i8 


CAUSES  OF   THE    WAR. 


[1812. 


There  was  a  certain  amount  of  truth  in  each  of 
these  propositions.     The  country  was  very  illy  pre- 
pared for  war  at  all,  least  of  all  with  the  most  pow- 
eiful  of  nations.      Madison  probably  had  been  given 
to  understand  that  unless  he  recommended  a  decla- 
ration of  war,  he  need  noi  expect  a  renomination  at 
the  hands  of  his  party.     And  we  certainly  had  cause 
of  war  with  France,  whose  cruisers  had  captured  or 
destroyed    many    of   our   merchantuicn.       But    the 
position  of  the  Federalists  on  this  question  furnishes 
a  singular  example  of  the  fact  that  an  argument  may 
sometimes  be  true  in  ea    i  of  its  parts,  and  yet  in- 
correct in  its  grand  concl  >sion.     It  seldom  happens 
that  any  people  are  prepared  for  a  just  and  defen- 
sive war  ;  they  begin  their  preparations  for  such  a 
contest  after  the  neces^ic  /  is  upon  them.     While  a 
portion  of  the  Republican  party  were  undoubtedly 
actuated  by  selfish  motives,  as  is  the  case  with  sonic 
portion   of  every  party,  the  greater  part   were   un 
questionably  patriotic,       d  advocated  war  because 
the\'  believed   it  to    be      ecessary.     The   crownini; 
argument  — that  the  U      cd  States  had  a  grievance 
against  France  as  well  as    '.ngland,  and  should  make 
war  on  both  if  on  cither-    would   have  been   unan 
swerable  if  it  had  been  a  i  loral  warfare  that  was  in 
question.     But  in  military  matters  it  is  necessary  to 
consider  what  is  practicable  as  well  as  what  is  loj,n 


1 


pe| 
Jia| 
no 
Vr\ 
a  n 


m 


[l8l2. 

-acb  of 

illy  pre- 

)st  pow- 

2n  given 

a  decla- 

[\ation  at 

lad  cause 

ptured  or 
But   the 

I  furnishes 

mentmay 

nd  yet  in- 

m  happens 

find  defen- 

for  such  a 

While  a 

|ndoubtedly 
with  some 
t  were   un- 
ar  because  ^^ 
e   crowning 
a  grievance 
should  make 
been  unau- 
that  was  in  :| 
necessary  to 

I  what  is  logi-^ 


1812.] 


CAUSES  OF   THE    ^'Ali. 


19 


If 


cal.  For  our  Government  to  attempt  to  fight  Eng- 
land and  France  at  the  same  time,  would  have  been 
simply  suicidal.  A  good  general  strives  to  divide 
his  foes,  instead  of  uniting  them.  The  shrewd 
thing  to  do  was,  to  declare  war  against  one  only,  and 
by  saying  nothing  of  any  grievance  against  the 
other,  make  of  that  other  either  an  ally  or  a  neu- 
tral. Then  if  the  war  was  successful  on  our  part,  it 
j.  would  put  an  end  to  the  outrages  complained  of,  not 
only  on  the  part  of  the  nation  with  whom  wc  had 
fought,  but  also  on  that  of  the  other  ;  or  if  not,  a 
war  with  the  second  offender  would  almost  neces- 
sarily have  the  same  result.  The  only  question  was, 
with  which  of  those  great  European  powers  we 
[should  attempt  to  cope  in  battle.  It  was  not  diffi- 
[cult  to  decide.  England  was  by  far  the  greater 
offender.  Not  only  had  she  done  more  than  France 
[to  cripple  our  commerce,  but  she  still  held  military 
posts  on  our  frontier  which  she  had  solemnly  agreed 
to  give  up,  and  kept  the  savages  in  a  state  of  per- 
petual hostility  to  our  western  pioneers.  England 
had  colonies  contiguous  to  our  territory  on  the 
north,  which  wc  might  make  the  battle-ground  ; 
1 1^' ranee  had  no  territory  that  would  serve  us  for  such 
a  purpose.  England  was  the  power  that  our  people 
[had  been  compelled  to  fight  thirty  years  before,  to 
[escape  from  oppression  ;   France  was  the  power  that 


«<1^ 


I 


4' 


A 


20 


CAUSES   OF    THE    WAR. 


[1812. 


had  assisted  us  in  that  war.  Mr.  Madison's  Admin- 
istration was  right  in  the  conclusion  that  war  could 
no  longer  be  avoided,  if  the  United  States  was  to 
maintain  an  honorable  place  among  nations  ;  and 
right  in  the  determination  to  wage  it  against  Eng- 
land alone.  But  for  the  manner  in  which  it  began 
and  conducted  that  war,  the  Administration  was 
open  to  the  severest  criticism. 


II 


CHAPTER   II. 


THE   DETROIT  CAMPAIGN. 

First  Bloodshed— Attitude  of  Political  Parties— Plans  for  Invading 
Canada — Capture  of  Michilimackinac — Engagements  at  the  River 
Raisin  and  Maguaga — Battle  ojf  Chicago — Hull's  Surrender. 

It  was  perhaps  characteristic  of  the  conduct  of 
the  war,  that  the  first  blood  spilled  should  be 
American  blood,  shed  by  Americans.  This  occurred 
in  a  riot,  occasioned  by  high  party  feeling,  and  it  is 
a  curious  fact  that  it  took  place  in  the  same  city 
where  the  first  blood  was  shed,  also  by  riot,  in  the 
great  war  of  the  Rebellion,  half  a  century  later.  In 
the  night  of  June  22d,  three  days  after  the  procla- 
mation of  war,  a  mob  in  Baltimore  sacked  the  office 
of  the  Federal  Republican,  edited  by  Alexander 
Hanson,  because  he  had  opposed  the  war  policy. 
The  mob  also  attacked  the  residences  of  several 
prominent  Federalists,  and  burned  one  of  them. 
Vessels  in  thq  harbor,  too,  were  visited  and  plun- 
dered. About  a  month  later  Hanson  resumed  the 
publication  of  his  paper,  and  in  the  night  of  July 
26th  the  mob  gathered  again.  This  had  been  ex- 
pected, and  Hanson  was  ready  for  them.     A  large 


22 


THE  DETROIT  CAMPAIGN. 


[1812. 


?  'k 


number  of  his  friends,  including  Generals  James  M. 
Lingan  and  Henry  Lee,  offered  to  assist  him  in 
protecting  his  property.  When  the  rioters  burst 
into  the  building,  they  were  at  once  fired  upon,  and 
one  of  them  was  killed  and  several  were  wounded. 
The  authorities  were  slow  and  timid  in  dealing  with 
the  riot  ;  and  when  at  length  a  force  of  militia  was 
called  out,  instead  of  firing  upon  the  mob,  or  cap- 
turing the  ringleaders,  they  arrested  Hanson  and  his 
friends,  and  lodged  them  in  jail.  The  rioters,  thus 
encouraged  by  those  whose  business  it  was  to  punish 
them,  attacked  the  jail  the  next  night,  murdered 
General  Lingan,  injured  General  Lee  so  that  he  was 
a  cripple  for  the  rest  of  his  life,  and  beat  several  of 
the  other  victims  and  subjected  them  to  torture. 
The  leaders  of  the  mob  were  brought  to  trial,  but 
were  acquitted  ! 

In  this  state  of  affairs,  the  war  party  in  the  coun- 
try being  but  little  stronger  than  the  peace  party, 
the  youngest  and  almost  the  weakest  of  civilized 
nations  went  to  war  with  one  of  the  oldest  and  most 
powerful.  The  regular  army  of  the  United  States 
numbered  only  six  thousand  men  ;  but  Congress  had 
passed  an  act  authorizing  its  increase  to  twenty-five 
thousand,  and  in  addition  to  this  the  President  was 
empowered  to  call  for  fifty  thousand  volunteers,  and 
to  use  the  militia  to  the  extent    of   one   hundred 


.i4»- 


-  % 


% 


s.-i 


I 


l8l2. 

iTi  in 
burst 
I,  and 
nded. 
r  with 
ia  was 
r  cap- 
md  his 
s,  thus 
punish 
urdcred 

he  was 
veral  of 

;orture. 
rial,  but 

le  coun- 
e  party, 
civiUzed 
nd  most 
d  States 
ress  had 
cnty-fivc 
dent  was 
eers,  and 
hundred 


1812.] 


THE   DETROIT  CAMPAIGN. 


23 


thousand.  Henry  Dearborn,  of  Massachusetts,  was 
made  a  major-general  and  appointed  to  command 
the  land  forces.  Against  the  thousand  vessels  and 
one  hundred  and  forty-four  thousand  sailors  of  the 
British  navy,  the  Americans  had  twenty  war-ships 
and  a  few  gunboats,  the  whole  carrying  about  three 
hundred  guns. 

But  these  figures,  taken  alone,  are  deceptive  ; 
since  a  very  large  part  of  the  British  force  was  en- 
gaged in  the  European  wars,  and  the  practical  ques- 
tion was,  what  force  the  United  States  could  bring 
against  so  much  as  England  could  spare  for  opera- 
tions on  the  high  seas  and  on  this  side  of  the  Atlan- 
tic. In  that  comparison,  the  discrepancy  was  not 
so  great,  and  the  United  States  had  an  enormous 
element  of  strength  in  her  fine  merchant  marine. 
Her  commerce  being  temporarily  suspended  to  a 
large  degree,  there  was  an  abundance  both  of  ships 
and  sailors,  from  which  to  build  up  a  navy  and  fit 
out  a  fleet  of  privateers.  Indeed,  privateering  was 
the  business  that  now  offered  the  largest  prizes  to 
mariners  and  ship-owners.  Yet  so  blind  was  Presi- 
dent Madison's  Administration  to  the  country's  main 
strength  and  advantage,  that  he  actually  proposed 
to  lay  up  all  the  naval  vesselr,  as  the  only  means  of 
saving  them  from  capture.  Of  what  use  it  would  be 
to  save  from  capture  war-vessels  which  were  not  to 


'lit 


•(ll 


!  '    ■ 


:  i 


24 


r//E  DEmOlT  CAMPAIGN. 


[1S12. 


sail  the  sea  in  time  of  war,  he  seems  not  to  have 
thought.  From  this  fatal  error  he  was  saved  by  the 
pluck  and  foresight  of  Captains  Stewart  and  Bain- 
bridge.  Those  two  officers  happened  fortunately  to 
be  in  Washington  at  the  time,  and  succeeded  in  per- 
suading the  Administration  to  give  up  this  plan  and 
order  the  vessels  fitted  for  sea  at  once. 

War  with  Great  Britain  being  determined  upon, 
the  plan  of  campaign  that  first  and  most  strongly 
presented  itself  to  the  Administration  was  the  con- 
quest of  the  British  provinces  on  our  northern  bor- 
der. This  had  been  attempted  during  the  Revolu- 
tion without  success,  but  none  the  less  confidence 
was  felt  in  it  now.  And  it  was  certainly  correct  in 
principle,  though  it  proved  wofully  disastrous  in  the 
execution.  It  is  observable  that  in  all  recent  wars, 
the  party  on  whose  ground  the  fighting  has  taken 
place  has  been  in  the  end  the  losing  party.  Thus 
the  Mexican  war  in  1846-7  was  fought  in  Mexican 
territory,  and  the  Mexicans  were  defeated.  The 
Crimean  war  was  fought  in  Russian  territory,  and 
the  Russians  were  defeated.  The  war  between 
France  and  Austria,  in  1859,  was  fought  in  Austrian 
territory,  and  the  Austrians  were  defeated.  The 
Schleswig-Holstein  war  was  fought  in  Danish  terri- 
tory, and  the  Danes  were  defeated.  The  war  be- 
tween Prussia  and  Austria,  in   1866,  was  fought  in 


I8I2.] 


THE   DETROIT  CAMPAJG/^. 


as 


have 
by  the 

Bain- 
tcly  to 
in  per- 
an  and 

i  upon, 

itrongly 

Lhe  con- 

ern  bor- 

Revolu- 

nfidence 

orrect  in 

us  in  the 

ent  wars, 

las  taken 
Thus 
Mexican 
ed.     The 
tory,  and 
between 
1  Austrian 
ed.      The  ' 
inish  terri- 
^e  war  be- 
;  fought  in 


y 


Austrian  territory,  and  the  Austrians  were  defeated. 
The  Franco-German  war  of  1870  was  fought  in 
French  territory,  and  France  was  defeated.  The 
Russo-Turkish  war  of  1877  was  fought  in  Turkish 
territory,  and  the  Turks  were  defeated.  The  war 
of  the  American  Rebellion  Mas  fought  in  territory 
claimed  by  the  rebels,  and  they  were  defeated.  It 
only  needs  that  a  war  should  continue  long  enough 
for  us  to  see  where  the  battle-ground  is  to  be,  and 
we  can  then  tell  what  will  be  its  result.  The  reason 
is  obvious.  A  nation  that  is  strong  enough  to  carry 
the  war  into  its  enemy's  country,  and  keep  it  there, 
will  certainly  prove  strong  enough  to  win  in  the 
end,  unless  interference  by  some  other  power  pre- 
vents it  ;  while  a  nation  that  is  too  weak  to  keep 
war,  with  all  its  devastation  and  ruin,  out  of  its  ter- 
ritory, must  certainly  be  defeated  unless  assisted  by 
some  neighboring  people.  The  invaders  may,  and 
probably  will,  lose  the  greater  number  of  men  in  the 
pitched  battles  ;  but  it  is  not  their  harvests  that  will 
be  trampled,  not  their  mills  that  will  be  burned,  not 
their  bridges  that  will  be  blown  up,  not  their  homes 
that  will  be  desolated,  not  their  families  that  must 
fly  for  shelter  to  the  caves  and  the  forests.  Their 
sources  of  supply  are  untouched.  This  principle  was 
recognized  by  Scipio,  when  he  declared  that  the 
war  with  Carthage  "  must  be  carried  into  Africa." 


26 


THE  DETROIT  CAMPAIGN. 


[1812. 


i.       lit 

V. 

8,      I, 


As  England  claimed  to  be  mistress  of  the  seas, 
and  practically  the  claim  was  almost  true,  the  de- 
termination to  send  our  little  navy  and  a  fleet  of 
privateers  against  her  was  essentially  carrying  the 
war  into  English  territory.  And  as  this  part  of  the 
contest  was  conducted  with  skill  and  valor,  it  was 
gloriously  successful. 

An  invasion  of  Canada  being  determined  upon, 
the  first  question  that  necessarily  arose  was,  at  what 
point  that  country  should  first  be  attacked.  To  any 
one  not  skilled  in  military  science  the  most  obvious 
plan  would  seem  the  best — to  march  as  large  a  force 
as  possible,  without  delay,  into  Canada  at  the  nearest 
point.  A  young  officer,  Major  Jesup,  of  Kentucky, 
sent  a  memorial  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  in  which 
he  set  forth  a  totally  different  plan  from  this.  He 
proposed  that  a  strong  expedition  should  be  fitted 
out  to  capture  and  hold  Halifax,  which  was  then  a 
city  of  fifteen  thousand  inhabitants,  with  the  most 
important  harbor  in  the  Canadian  provinces.  As  a 
precedent,  he  could  refer  to  the  capture  of  Louis- 
burg  in  1748.  But  the  Secretary,  Hon.  William 
Eustis,  of  Massachusetts,  spoke  of  it  contemptu- 
ously as  "  a  very  pretty  plan,"  and  set  it  aside. 
Yet  it  was  sound  in  principle,  and  if  properly  carried 
out  could  hardly  have  failed  to  secure  important  re- 
sults.    In   striking   an   enemy   on    the   flank,  it    is 


I8l2.] 


THE  DETROIT  CAMPAIGN, 


»7 


always  desirable  to  choose  that  flank  by  which  he 
holds  communication  with  his  base.  A  blow  on  the 
other  flank  may  inflict  injury,  but  it  only  drives  him 
back  toward  his  base.  A  movement  that  cuts  him 
off  from  such  communication  compels  him  either  to 
surrender  or  to  fight  at  great  disadvantage  Can- 
ada's base  —  for  many  supplies,  and  largely  for 
soldiers  —  was  England.  The  port  of  Quebec  was 
frozen  up  nearly  half  the  year,  and  the  occupation 
of  Halifax  by  an  American  force  would  have  gone 
far  toward  severing  the  connection  between  the  prov- 
inces and  the  mother  country.  That  harbor,  too, 
[was  all-important  for  the  refuge  and  refitting  of 
[British  naval  vessels  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic. 

Looking  at  the  matteras  purely  a  military  prob- 
lem, it  was  a  pity  that  this  brilliant  plan  was  not 
idopted.     But  in  a  larger  consideration   it   is  prob- 
fably  fortunate   for  us   that   it  was   not.      It  might 
have   resulted  —  indeed,   that  was  contemplated  in 
I  the  plan  —  in  leaving  the  Americans,  at  the  close  of 
[the  war,  in  possession  of  Canada.     As  the  structure 
iof  our  government  almost  precludes  the  holding  of 
conquered  provinces  as  such  for  any  length  of  time, 
the  Canadas  must  have  soon  become  States  of  the 
[Republic.     But,  so  far  from  that  being  desirable  in 
[1815,  it  may  be  doubted  whether  even  yet  the  time 
[has  arrived  when  it  would  be  wise  to   incorporate 


28 


THE  DETROIT  CAMPAIGN. 


[1812. 


ill 


'(■    I 


1  .. 


I  .i 


that  undesirable  population,  in  a  body  as  they  arc, 
with  the  people  of  the  United  States. 

In  planning  for  the  invasion  of  Canada,  the  Ad- 
ministration counted  largely  upon  a  supposed  readi- 
ness of  the  Canadians  to  throw  off  their  allegiance 
to  Great  Britain  and  join  with  the  United  States. 
Such  expectations  have  almost  never  been  realized, 
and  in  this  instance  they  were  completely  disap- 
pointed. 

In  the  preceding  February,  William  Hull,  Gov- 
ernor of  the  Territory  of  Michigan,  who  had  rendered 
distinguished  service  in  the  Revolution,   had   been 
made  a  brigadier-general  and  placed  in  command  of 
the   forces  in  Ohio,  with  orders  to  march  them  to 
Detroit,  to  protect  the  Territory  against  the  Ind- 
ians, who  were  becoming  troublesome.     In  June  he 
was  in   command   of  about   two   thousand   men,  in 
northern   Ohio,  moving  slowly  through  the  wilder- 
ness.    On  the  day  when   war  was  declared,    June 
1 8th,  the  Secretary  of  War  wrote  him  two  letters. 
The   first,  in  which   the   declaration  was  not  men- 
tioned, was  despatched  by  a  special  messenger,  and 
reached  General  Hull  on  the  24th.     The  other  in 
formed  him  of  the  declaration  of  war,  but  was  sen: 
by  mail  to   Cleveland,  there  to   take  its  chance  <    . 
reaching  the  General  by  whatever  conveyance  migli:_.| 
be  found.     The  consequence  was,  that  he  did  no:  j 


/ 


[l8l2. 

they  are, 

,  the  Ad- 
sccl  readi- 
allci^iancc 
-d  States. 
[-1  realised, 
tely  disap- 

HuU,  Cov- 
ad rendered 
^,  had  been 
:ommand  o{ 
rch  them  to 
»st  the  Ind- 
In  June  l^e 
and  men,  in 
the  wilder- 
Iclared,    June 
two  letters, 
[as  not  men- 
issenger,  and 
he  other  in- 
,ut  was  sent 
ts  chance  oi 
jeyance  migi^'^ 
Lt  he  did  not' 


1812.J 


THE  DETROIT  CAMPAIGN. 


39 


i 


■ii  receive  it  till  the  2d  of  July.  But  every  British  com- 
mander in  Canada  learned  the  news  several  days 
earlier. 

Hull  arrived  at  Detroit  on  the  5th  of  July,  and  set 
about  organizing  his  forces.  On  the  9th  he  received 
from  the  War  Department  orders  to  begin  the  in- 
vasion of  Canada  by  taking  possession  of  Maiden, 
fifteen  miles  below  Detroit,  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river,  if  he  thought  he  could  do  so  with  safety  to  his 
own  posts. 

He  crossed  on  the  12th,  and  issued  a  proclama- 
tion to  the  Canadian.^.  In  this  he  told  them  that 
he  came  to  do  no  injurs  peaceable  citizens,  who 
might  remain  at  their  ht  s  and  pursue  their  usual 
occupations  in  security  ;  that  he  neither  asked  nor 
needed  their  help,  but  would  accept  the  services  of 
such  as  might  volunteer  ;  and  that  no  quarter  would 
be  given  to  any  who  adopted  Indian  modes  of  war- 
fare or  were  found  fighting  in  company  with  the 
savages  who  were  accustomed  to  scalp  prisoners  and 
murder  non-combatants.  After  the  campaign  had 
resulted  disastrously.  General  Hull  was  censured  and 
ridiculed  for  this  proclamation  ;  but  a  copy  had  been 
transmitted  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  and  approved 
by  him  ;  and  indeed,  if  a  proclamation  was  to  be 
issued,  it  is  difficult  to  find  any  serious  fault  with 
Hull's.     The  error  was   in   issuing  any  at  all  —  a 


/ 


m 


30 


T//£  DETROIT  CAMPAIGN. 


[1812. 


thing  which  a  general  seldom  does  with  any  good 
effect. 

Hull  fortified  his  camp  on  the  east  side  of  the 
river,  and  while  waiting  for  Lis  artillery  sent  out  re- 
connoitring parties  toward  F'ort  Maiden,  and  de- 
tachments to  bring  in  supplies.  As  his  troops  grew 
impatient,  he  called  a  council  of  war,  explained  the 
situation  to  his  of^cers,  and  offered  to  lead  them  in 
an  attempt  to  carry  the  '  .t  by  storm,  without  wait- 
ing for  artillery,  if  they  thought  their  men  could  be 
relied  upon  for  such  an  enterprise.  Colonel  Miller 
answered  that  his  regiment  of  regulars  could  be  de- 
pended upon  for  anything  they  might  be  ordered  to 
do  ;  but  the  three  militia  colonels  very  wisely  an- 
swere:'  tl-'at  raw  militia  could  not  be  expected  to 
storm  a  fortified  place,  unaided  by  artillery  —  one 
Tif  the  most  hazardous  of  all  military  exploits. 

So  it  was  decided  to  defer  the  p.ttack,  and  in  a  few 
days  came  the  news  that  on  the  declaration  of  war, 
a  force  of  over  six  hundred — British  and  Indians — 
had  promptly  moved  against  the  American  post  at 
Micliilimackinac — on  the  rocky  little  island  of  Mack- 
inaw, commanding  the  strait  between  Lake  Huron 
and  Lake  Michigan — and  the  garrison  of  sixty-one 
officers  and  men  capitulated  on  the  i6th  of  July. 
This  disaster  to  the  Americans  roused  the  Indians 
to  renewed  hostility  against  them,  while  it  propor- 


[l8l2. 

ly  good 

of  the 
out  re- 
and  de- 
ps  grew 
ined  the 
them  in 
►ut  wait- 
:ould  be 
:l  Miller 
d  be  de- 
dered  to 
isely  an- 
scted  to 
■y  —  one 
s. 
in  a  few 

of  war, 
ndians — 
I  post  at 
Df  Mack- 
e  Huron 
ilxty-one 
of  July. 

Indians 

propor- 


1812.J 


THE  DETROIT  CAMPAIGN. 


31 


4 


tionately  disheartened  Hull,  and  seems  to  have  been 
the  first  step  in  the  breaking  down  of  his  courage. 
After  a  few  skirmishes,  he  recrossed  to  Detroit  on 
the  /th  of  August. 

Meanwhile  the  British  Colonel  Proctor  had  arrived 
at  Maiden  with  reiinforcements,  and  on  Hull's  with- 
drawal to  Detroit  he  threw  a  force  across  the  river 
to  intercept  his  supplies.  This  force  consisted  of  a 
small  number  of  British  regulars  and  a  considerable 
number  of  Indians  commanded  by  the  famous  Te- 
cumseh.  Learning  that  a  supply  train,  accompanied 
by  a  few  volunteers,  was  coming  to  him  and  had  got 
as  far  as  the  River  Raisin,  about  thirty-five  miles 
south  of  Detroit,  General  Hull  sent  out  a  detach- 
ment of  about  two  hundred  men,  under  Major 
Thomas  B.  Van  Home,  to  meet  it  and  escort  it  to 
camp.  This  detachment  was  attacked  by  the  Brit- 
ish and  savages  at  Brownstown,  twenty  miles  from 
Detroit.  Van  Home  was  surprised,  and  retreated 
to  the  edge  of  a  wood.  His  men  behaved  badly, 
and  could  not  be  got  into  line,  another  retreat  was 
ordered,  and  finally  they  ran  away  in  confusion, 
having  lost  eighteen  killed,  twelve  wounded,  and 
seventy  missing. 

Hull  sent  out  another  detachment,  of  six  hundred 
men,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  James  Miller,  to 
open  communication  with  the  supply  train,  which 


'I 


32 


r//E  DETROIT  CAMPAIGN. 


[1812. 


I    11 


was  more  fortunate.  At  Maguaga,  fourteen  miles 
from  Detroit,  they  came  upon  the  enemy  intrenched 
behind  a  breastwork  of  logs.  The  British  were 
commanded  by  Major  Muir,  the  savages  by  Tecum- 
seh.  Miller  at  once  ordered  a  bayonet  charge,  which 
his  men  executed  in  gallant  style.  The  enemy 
were  driven  from  their  works,  after  some  hard  fight- 
ing, and  pursued  for  two  miles.  They  finally 
reached  their  boats,  and  crossed  to  Maiden,  but 
nearly  a  hundred  Indians  lay  dead  on  the  field,  and 
the  English  had  lost  fifteen  killed  and  forty  wound- 
ed. The  American  loss  was  fifteen  killed  and  sixty 
wounded.  Instead  of  pushing  on  to  the  River 
Raisin,  and  securing  the  supplies,  Colonel  Miller 
returned  with  his  command  to  Detroit. 

As  the  direct  road  on  which  all  these  operations 
had  taken  place  lay  along  the  river-bank,  in  sight 
of  the  enemy  and  exposed  to  the  fire  of  his  gun- 
boats, Hull  now  sent  out  a  detachment  under  Colo- 
nels McArthur  and  Cass,  to  escort  the  train  by  a 
circuitous  route,  farther  from  the  river. 

During  this  gloomy  state  of  things  at  Detroit,  a 
bloody  affair  took  place  on  ground  that  is  now 
within  the  city  of  Chicago.  Fort  Dearborn  stood 
at  the  mouth  of  Chicago  River,  and  was  occupied 
by  a  garrison  of  about  fifty  soldiers,  with  several 
families.     Captain  Nathan  Heald,  commanding  the 


[l8l2. 

en  miles 
trenched 
isli   were 
Tecum- 
:e,  which 
enem), 
rd  fight- 
finally 
en,    but 
:;ld,  and 
wound- 
id  sixty 
;   River 
Miller 


■0 

;1 


1812.] 


r//£  DETROIT  CAMPAIGN. 


33 


post,  had  been  ordered  by  General  Hull  to  abandon 
it  and  remove  his  force  to  Detroit.  With  so  small 
a  force,  moving  more  than  two  hundred  miles 
through  a  wilderness  in  time  of  war,  it  was  especial- 
ly desirable  to  retain  the  good  will  of  the  Indians. 
Captain  Heald  accordingly  called  a  council  of  those 
who  professed  to  be  friendly,  told  them  of  his  in- 
tended movement,  and  promised  to  give  them  all 
the  property  in  the  fort  that  he  could  not  take  with 
him,  at  which  they  were  greatly  pleased.  But  in 
the  night,  knowing  their  intemperance  and  fearing 
their  treachery,  he  destroyed  all  the  alcohol,  fire- 
arms, and  gunpowder  which  he  could  not  take  away. 
These  were  the  very  articles  that  the  Indians  most 
highly  valued,  and  when,  after  his  departure  next 
morning  (August  15th),  they  discovered  the  trick 
that  had  been  played  them,  they  were  very  much 
enraged,  and  hurried  on  to  overtake  him.  He  was 
moving  slowly  southward  along  the  shore  of  the 
lake,  when  the  crest  of  a  low  range  of  sand-hills  on 
his  right  was  suddenly  lighted  up  with  a  blaze  of 
musketry.  The  savages  were  there  in  ambush, 
mercilessly  firing  upon  the  little  caravan.  As  quick- 
ly as  possible  the  wagons  were  drawn  up  together, 
and  the  women  and  children  given  shelter  in  and 
behind  them,  while  the  soldiers  stood  their  ground, 
and  returned  the  fire  of  the  Indians.     It  was  a  brave 


Tf 


34 


THE  DETROIT  CAMPAIGN. 


[1812, 


i !  m\ 


1  i  ^^ 


and  bloody  fight,  and  when  some  of  the  men  had 
fallen  the  women  took  up  their  rifles  and  fired  upon 
the  savages  with  all  the  courage  and  coolness  of  sol- 
diers. But  after  heavy  losses,  the  survivors  of  the 
party  were  compelled  to  surrender.  In  the  course 
of  the  fight,  an  Indian  had  made  his  way  to  the 
wagons,  and,  springing  into  one  in  which  twelve 
children  had  been  placed,  tomahawked  every  one  of 
them.  The  victorious  savages  scalped  all  the 
wounded,  claiming  that  they  had  not  been  included 
in  the  capitulation,  and  the  bloody  trophies  were 
sold  to  Colonel  Proctor,  who  had  offered  a  premium 
for  American  scalps. 

The  fight  near  Fort  Dearborn  took  place  on  the 
same  day  that  the  detachment  under  Colonels  Mc- 
Arthur  and  Cass  left  Detroit.  The  next  day, 
August  15th,  the  British  General  Isaac  Brock,  who 
had  arrived  at  Maldena  few  days  before  and  assumed 
command  there,  formally  demanded  the  surrender 
of  Detroit.  This  demand  included  a  plain  threat  of 
massacre  in  case  of  refusal.  Said  Brock  in  his 
letter  :  "  It  is  far  from  my  intention  to  join  in  a  war 
of  extermination  ;  but  you  must  be  aware  that  the 
numerous  bodies  of  Indians  who  have  attached 
themselves  to  my  troops  will  be  beyond  my  control 
the  moment  the  contest  commences."  This  is  a  fine 
example  of  the  art  of  putting  things.     The  reader 


'0, 

[I8l2. 

en  had 

4 

d  upon 

of  sol- 

}. 

of  the 

■i 

course 

to  the 

; 

twelve 

^  one  of 

•f 

all    the 

icluded 

es  were 

remium 

.j'JH 

on  the 

;ls  Mc- 

-i 

t    day, 

1 

:k,  who 

i 
1 

ssumed 

rrender 

ircat  of 

■■ '  S 

in    his 

4 

n  a  war 

■^ 

l8l2.] 


T//£  DETROIT   CAMPAIGN. 


35 


would  suppose  from  Brock's  words — **  the  Indians 
who  have  attached  themselves  to  my  troops" — that 
the  savages  in  red  skins  had  insisted  on  accompany- 
ing the  expedition  in  spite  of  the  most  strenuous 
efforts  on  the  part  of  the  savages  in  red  coats  to 
shake  them  off  ;  whereas  Brock  had  just  held  a 
formal  council  with  the  Indians,  and  regularly 
arranged  the  terms  of  alliance.  Two  years  later, 
when  peace  was  being  negotiated,  the  British  com- 
missioners spoke  of  these  Indians,  not  as  an  irre- 
sponsible force,  but  as  regular  allies,  who  must  share 
in  the  treaty. 

General  Hull  gave  a  defiant  reply,  ordered  Mc- 
Arthur  and  Cass  to  return  at  once  with  their  de- 
tachment, and  made  admirable  arrangements  to  de- 
fend the  place.  In  the  afternoon  there  was  an  artil- 
leiy  duel  between  two  twenty-four  pounders  in  the 
fort  and  a  British  battery  at  Sandwich  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  river. 

Brock's  force,  according  to  his  own  testimony, 
numbered  1330  men,  including  600  Indiafts,  and  he 
had  also  two  ships  of  war.  Hull  had  present  for 
duty  about  1000  men.*  Brock  sent  a  large  body  of 
Indians  across  the  river  that   night,  at  -a  point  five 


It  is  impossible  to  reconcile  the  conflicting  statements  as  to  the 
numbers  on  either  side. 


,,  f 


I;;!! 


36 


T//E  DETROIT  CAMPAIGN. 


[1812. 


m 


U        t 


I   fi 


m  1 


V. 


miles  below  the  fort,  and  early  in  the  morning  cross- 
ed  with  the  remainder  of  his  troops,  and  at  once 
marched  on  the  place.  Hull  had  posted  his  regulars 
in  the  fort,  and  his  militia  in  the  town,  where  the 
stout  palings  that  surrounded  the  little  kitchen  gar- 
dens gave  them  an  admirable  shelter.  The  two 
twenty-four  pounders  were  loaded  heavily  with  grape 
and  placed  so  as  to  command  the  road  by  which  the 
enemy  was  approaching,  in  close  order,  twelve  deep. 
Never  was  there  a  better  opportunity  to  do  whole- 
sale execution  by  a  single  discharge.  Everybody  was 
watching  in  breathless  expectation  to  see  the  match 
applied  and  the  murderous  iron  go  surging  through 
those  beautiful  ranks,  when,  to  the  astonishment  of 
friend  and  foe  alike,  a  white  flag  was  hung  out  upon 
the  wall  of  the  fort.  Brock  himself  was  surprised, 
when,  sending  to  know  what  it  meant,  he  learned 
that  Hull  had  determined  to  surrender.  The  arti- 
cles of  capitulation  were  drawn  up,  and  the  Amer- 
ican general  surrendered  not  merely  the  fort  and  its 
garrison,  but  the  whole  Territory  of  Michigan,  of 
which  he  was  Governor.  Thus  ended  this  miserable 
campaign. 

Hull's  ofBcers  were  incensed  at  his  action,  and  he 
was  subsequently  court-martialled,  convicted  of 
cowardice,  and  condemned  to  death  ;  but  the 
President    pardoned    him,    in  consideration    of    his 


I8I2.J 


THE  DETROIT   CAMPAIGN. 


37 


age  and  his  services  in  the  Revolution.     The  points 

tof  his  defence  were  :  that    an    army  in  a  situation 

llike   his,  cut  off    from    its  supplies,  must  surrender 

[sooner   or   later  ;  that    if    he    had    given   battle,  it 

Iwould  have  exposed  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  Ter- 

fritory  to  Indian  barbarities;  that  lis  situation  was 

[the  fault  of  the  Administration,  rather  than  his  own  ; 

that  his  force  was  inferior  to  Brock's  ;  and  that  his 

provisions  were  nearly  exhausted.     Benedict  Arnold 

himself  was  hardly  held  in  greater  contempt  by  the 

American   people  than   was   General  Hull  for  years 

after    his    trial.      Many    believed   him    to    be   more 

[traitor   than    coward.       This    state    of   feeling   was 

[largely  due   to    Colonel    Lewis  Cass  —  nearly  forty 

[years    later   a  candidate  for  the  Presidency  —  who 

[hurried  to  Washington   with   the  news,  and  greatly 

ixaggerated   the    circumstances    that    bore    against 

[Hull.     Cass's  action  in  this  matter  was  exceedingly 

Idiscreditable.     On  one  point,  the  important  ques- 

Ition  of  supplies,  a  letter  written   by  him  two  days 

before  the  surrender  was  flatly  contradicted  by  his 

testimony  at  the  trial.      Subsequent  investigations, 

[if  they  do  not  exonerate  General  Hull,  have  at  least 

[greatly  modified  the  blame  attached  to  him. 


r 


H 


k  "^i 

Iji'  / 

4i.-.. 


CHAPTER    III. 

FIGHTS   WITH   THE   INDIANS. 

Tecumseh's  Scheme — Harrison's  March  to  Fort  Wayne — Defence  of 
Fort  Harrison — Defence  of  Fort  Madison — Bail's  Fight. 

The  great  Indian  leader,  Tecumseh,  cherished  a 
design  similar  to  that  of  Pontiac  in  the  previous 
century.  He  wanted  to  unite  all  the  northwestern 
tribes  in  an  effort  to  drive  the  white  man  out  of  tlie 
country,  or  at  least  out  of  the  Northwestern  Terri- 
tory. For  the  prosecution  of  this  design  the  disas- 
ters which  the  Americans  had  sustained  in  the  fall 
of  Michilimackinac,  P'^ort  Dearborn,  and  Detroit 
seemed  an  auspicious  opening,  and  Tecumseh  en- 
deavored to  follow  it  up  promptly  with  attacks  on 
the  other  frontier  posts  held  by  United  States 
troops.  The  most  important  of  these  were  Fort 
Wayne,  on  the  present  site  of  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana, 
and  Fort  Harrison,  on  the  Wabash,  above  Terre 
Haute. 

A  force  of  Kentuckians  had  been  gathered  in 
August  and  placed  under  command  of  General  Wil- 
liam Henry  Harrison,  afterward  President  of  the 
United    States,  destined   for  the  reenforcement  of 


I8l2.] 


FIGHTS   WITH   THE   LVDIANS. 


39 


Defence  of 
s  Fight. 

:herished  a 
e  previous 
>rthvvestern 
out  of  the 
tern  Terri- 
i  the  disas- 
in  the  fall 
nd    Detroit 
cumseh  en- 
attacks  on 
ted    States 
were   Fort 
le,  Indiana, 
bove  Terre 


athered   in 
General  Wil-  | 
lent  of    the 
)rcernent  of  -m 


Hull  at  Detroit.     But  after  the  news  of  his  surren- 
der, it  was  directed  to  the  relief  of  Fort  Wayne,  to 
reach  which  required  a  long  march  through  the  wil- 
erness  of  western  Ohio.     A  journal  kept  by  one  of 
he  soldiers  on  this    march,    Elias    Darnell,   is    still 
xtant.     It  contains  many  amusing  and   suggestive 
necdotes.     Under  date  of  September  5th  he  says  : 
"  General   Harrison,  having  paraded  the  remain- 
ng  part  of  the  army  in  a  circle   in   close   order,  dc- 
ivered  a  speech  to  them,  stating  that  he  had  just 
eceived  intelligence  from  Fort  Wayne  ;  that  it  was 
n  great  danger  of  being  taken  by  the   Indians  anv.. 
British  ;  he  said  that  we  were  under  the  necessity  of 
Jjiaking  a  forced   march   to   their    relief.      Me    read 
me  of  the  articles  of  war,  and  stated  the  absolute 
cessity  of  such  regulations  and  restrictions  in  an 
my,  and  if  there  were  any  who  could  not  feel  will- 
to  submit  to  those  articles  and  go  on  with  him, 
'^'^  might  then  return  home.     One  man,  belonging 
to  Colonel  Scott's  regiment,  made  a  choice  of  re- 
turning home,   rather  than  submit  to  those  terms. 
Some  of  his  acquaintances  got  a  permit  to  escort  him 
mrt  of  the  way  home.     Two  of  them  got  him  upon 
rail  and  earned  him  to  the  river  ;  a  crowd  followed 
ifter  ;  they  ducked  him  several  times  in  the  water, 
ind  washed  away  all  his  patriotism."     The  danger 
rom  firearms  in  the  hands  of  undisciplined  volun- 


40 


FIGHTS   WITH    THE  INDIANS. 


[1812. 


»i 


teers  is  shown  by  these  passages  ;  "  One  of  Captain 
McGowen's  company  was  accidentally  shot  throu<,fh 
the  body  by  one  of  the  sentinels."  "A  man  was 
accidentally  shot  through  the  head  by  one  of  the 
mounted  riflemen."  "One  of  the  light  horsemen 
wounded  a  man  as  he  was  feeding  his  horse,  believ- 
ing him  to  be  an  Indian."  The  privations  of  such 
an  expedition  are  well  illustrated  by  this  :  "  \Vc 
marched  through  some  first-rate  woodland,  and 
through  a  prairie  of  the  best  quality.  It  is  badly 
watered  ;  the  water  in  the  wagon-ruts  was  the  only 
drink  we  could  get  to  cool  our  scorching  thirst,  and 
but  very  little  of  that."  And  the  romantic  inci- 
dents by  this  :  "  The  tomb  of  a  chief  was  discov- 
ered ;  it  was  built  on  the  ground  with  timber  and 
clay,  so  that  no  rain  or  air  could  enter.  The  chief 
was  laid  on  his  blanket,  his  head  toward  sunrise, 
his  rifle  by  his  side,  his  tin  pan  on  his  breast,  with  a 
spoon  in  it  ;  he  was  ornamented  in  their  style,  withj 
ear-rings,  brooches,  etc." 

Fort  Wayne,  which  was  well  provisioned  and  had  | 
a  garrison  of  about  seventy  men,  commanded  by 
Captain  Rhea,  was  besieged  by  the  Indians  for  twoj 
weeks.  A  portion  of  General  Harmar's  expedition] 
had  been  defeated  by  the  savages  on  this  spot! 
twenty- two  years  before.  The  fort  now  had  fourj 
small  field-pieces,  and  was  otherwise  well  equipped. 


\  m-w 


WM' 


I3I2.] 


FIGHTS   WITH    THE  liVDIANS. 


41 


The  Indians  at  first  professed  to  be  friendly,  and 
tried  by  all  nneans  to  surprise  the  garrison.  Then 
they  mounted  logs  to  look  like  siege  guns.  But  the 
wary  Captain  Rhea  was  not  to  be  deceived,  and  on 
the  approach  of  Harrison's  expedition,  September 
12th,  the  besiegers  decamped.  Their  villages  and 
cornfields  in  the  neighborhood  were  destroyed. 

Fort  Harrison  was  less  fortunate  than  Fort 
Wayne.  It  was  commanded  by  Captain  Zachary 
Taylor,  who  was  afterward  President  of  the  United 
States.  His  force  was  very  small,  and  had  been  re- 
duced by  sickness  to  about  fifteen  effective  men. 
On  the  3d  of  September  two  young  settlers  were 
killed  and  scalped  near  the  fort  by  Indians.  The 
next  day  thirty  or  forty  of  the  savages  appeared  with 
a  white  flag,  asked  for  admission  to  the  fort,  and 
wanted  something  to  eat.  Taylor  had  been  warned 
to  expect  an  attack,  was  on  his  guard,  and  refused 
to  open  the  gates.  Near  midnight  a  block-house 
which  formed  part  of  the  outer  line  of  fortifications 
was  found  to  be  on  fire.  The  crowd  of  savages  out- 
side was  now  swelled  to  several  hundreds,  and  what 
with  their  horrible  yelling  and  the  cries  of  nine 
women  and  children  inside  the  fort,  and  the  rapidly 
spreading  flames,  the  little  garrison  was  thrown  into 
considerable  confusion.  The  destruction  of  the 
block-house  would  open  a  gap  through  which  the 


!r 


42 


FIGHTS   WITH   THE  INDIANS. 


[1813. 


i 


1 


•!     i 


Indians  would  quickly  pour  in  aswiirm,  and  then  woe 
to  the  little  band  of  whites  !  But  Captain  Taylor 
never  lost  his  coolness  for  a  moment.  He  ord'Tcd 
the  part  of  the  roof  of  the  barracks  which  was  near- 
est to  the  fire  to  be  thrown  down,  and  the  end  of 
the  barracks  kept  wet.  The  invalids  and  convales- 
cents manned  the  two  bastions  and  the  other  block- 
house, and  kept  up  a  fire  on  the  Indians,  to  protect 
the  men  who  were  at  work  on  the  roof.  This  fight 
against  a  double  foe  was  kept  up  for  eight  hours  ; 
and  the  garrison  not  only  prevented  the  fire  from 
spreading,  but  erected  a  temporary  breastwork  to 
cover  the  gap  made  by  the  destruction  of  the  block- 
house, and  thus  completely  foiled  the  Indians,  who 
disappeared  next  day,  driving  off  as  many  as  possible 
of  the  cattle  belonging  to  the  neighboring  farmers. 
Of  the  garrison,  two  men  were  1  Ued  and  two 
wounded.  For  this  skilful  and  gallai.  action,  Tay- 
lor was  made  a  major.  A  passage  in  his  of^cial  re- 
port of  the  affair  is  interesting,  not  as  having  any 
bearing  on  the  result,  but  because  by  detailing  the 
experience  of  two  individuals  it  gives  us  a  vivid  idea 
of  the  manner  in  which  such  contests  were  conduct- 
ed. He  says  :  "  One  man  lost  his  life  by  being  too 
anxious  ;  he  got  into  one  of  the  galleys  in  the  bas- 
tions, and  fired  over  the  pickets,  and  called  out  to 
his  comrades  that  he  had   killed   an   Indian,   and, 


1 1 

f   ^' 


iiiim  \ 

'ill. 


i8ia.] 


FIGHTS   WITH    THE  INDIANS. 


43 


neglecting  to  stoop  down,  in  an  instant  he  was  shot 
dead.  One  of  the  men  that  jumped  the  pickets  re- 
turned an  hour  before  day,  and,  running  up  toward 
the  gate,  begged  for  God's  sake  for  it  to  be  opened. 
I  suspected  it  to  be  a  stratagem  of  the  Indians  to  get 
in,  as  I  did  not  recollect  the  voice  ;  I  directed  the 
nu.n  in  the  bastion,  where  I  happened  to  be,  to 
shoot  him,  let  him  be  who  he  would  ;  and  one  of 
them  fired  at  him,  but  fortunately  he  ran  up  to  the 
other  bastion,  where  they  knew  his  voice,  and  Dr. 
CMark  directed  him  to  lie  down  close  to  the  pickets, 
behind  an  empty  barrel  that  happened  to  be  there, 
and  at  daylight  I  had  him  let  in.  His  arm  was  broke 
in  a  most  shocking  manner,  which  he  says  was  done 
by  the  Indians — which  I  suppose  was  the  cause  of 
his  returning.  The  other  they  caught  about  one 
hundred  and  thirty  yards  from  the  garrison,  and  cut 
him  all  to  pieces." 

Fort  Madison,  which  had  been  built  in  an  exposed 
and  badly  chosen  situation  on  the  bank  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, near  the  site  of  St.  Louis,  was  attacked  on 
the  5th  of  September  by  more  than  two  hundrecl 
Indians,  Winnebagos.  They  approached  stealthily, 
caught  one  of  the  garrison  outside  of  the  fort,  and 
shot  and  scalped  him  within  sight  of  his  comradcj^ 
on  the  walls.  Firing  was  kept  up  on  both  sides  for 
two  days,  but  with  little  effect.     On  the  7th  the  sav- 


■I 


Rl  I 


44 


FIGHTS    WITH    THE   IXDIANS. 


[r8i2. 


■  f'ii 


ages  displayed  on  poles  the  head  and  heart  of  the 
man  they  had  killed,  and  later  in  the  day  tried  to 
destroy  the  buildings  by  shooting  upon  the  roofs 
arrows  to  which  they  had  tied  combustible  matter 
and  set  it  on  fire.  As  at  Fort  Harrison,  the  appear- 
ance of  fire  created  a  panic  among  the  men  ;  but  the 
commander,  Lieutenant  Hamilton,  was  equal  to  the 
occasion.  He  ordered  eight  old  gun-barrels  to  be 
made  into  syringes,  and  small  holes  to  be  broken 
through  the  roof  from  the  inside.  Thrusting  up  the 
syringes  through  these  holes,  the  men  were  able  in  a 
few  minutes  to  make  the  roof  as  wet  as  if  a  heavy 
shower  had  fallen,  which  completely  baffled  the  de- 
sign of  the  enemy.  On  the  8th  the  Indians  took 
possession  of  an  old  stable  near  the  fort,  and  re- 
newed the  fight  ;  but  a  few  cannon-shot  were  sent 
crashing  through  the  stable,  while  the  gun-barrel 
syringes  did  duty  as  before,  and  the  savages  then 
v/ithdrew. 

Besides  these  actions  at  the  forts,  there  were 
numerous  encounters  between  small  parties  of  white 
men  and  Indians,  in  which  often  great  skill  and 
courage  were  displayed.  One  of  the  most  note- 
worthy was  Colonel  Ball's  fight.  That  officer  was 
descending  the  bank  of  Sandusky  River  with  twenty- 
two  mounted  men,  when  a  party  of  Indians  about 
equal  to  their  own  numbers  fired  upon  them  from 


M 


[l8l2. 

t  of  the 
tried  to 
he  roofs 
:  matter 
;  appear- 
but  the 
al  to  the 
ils  to  be 
:  broken 
g  up  the 
able  in  a 
a  heavy 
the  de- 
ans took 
,  and  re- 
ere  sent 
an-barrel 
jes  then 


I8i2.]  FIGHTS   IVnn    THE  INDIANS.  4. 

ambush.     Ball  and  his  men  charged  into  the  am- 
buscade,   drove    out    the    savages,    and    killed    the 
chiefs.     Ball  was  dismounted,  and  struggling  with 
a  gigantic  chief,  when  one  of  his  men  came  up  and 
shot  the  Indian.     The  remaining  Indians  then  be- 
came  furious,  and  gave  the  signal  for  no  quarter, 
i^al   s  men    understood    the    situation,  and    fou^^hf 
without  flinching,  till  they  had  killed  every  one^f 
their  antagonists.      This   affair    had    a   wholesom. 
effect  upon  the  Indians  of  that  region,  and  for  som^ 
time  the  settlers  were  unmolested. 


;re  were 
of  white 
kill  and 
st  note- 
icer  was 
twenty- 
is  about 
em  from 


I  'J 


■1 

i  1 

^  ii 

ill 

ii 

L%^.. 

CHAPTER    IV. 

THE  BATTLE  OF  QUEENSTOWN. 

Fight  at  Gananoqui — Expedition  against  Ogdensburg — Elliott  cap- 
tures two  War-vessels — Gathering  of  Forces  on  the  Niagara — 
Battle  of  Queenstown — Death  of  General  Brock. 

Hull's  surrender  by  no  means  put  an  end  to  the 
design  of  invading  Canada,  but  neither  did  it  have 
any  effect  in  changing  the  vicious  plan  of  striking 
the  enemy  on  the  wrong  flank. 

In  the  night  of  September  20th,  Captain  Benjamin 
Forsyth  embarked  at  Cape  Vincent,  New  York,  with 
about  a  hundred  men,  and  in  the  morning  landed 
near  the  village  of  Gananoqui,  Canada.  Here  an  en- 
gagement took  place  with  about  an  equal  number  of 
British  troops — regulars  and  militia — at  the  close  of 
which  the  enemy  fled,  leaving  ten  men  dead  on  the 
field  and  several  wounded  and  prisoners.  Captain 
Forsyth  then  burned  the  military  storehouse — which 
was  the  object  of  his  expedition — paroled  the  cap- 
tured militia,  and  returned  to  the  American  shore 
with  a  few  regulars  as  prisoners  of  war  and  a  consid- 
erable quantity  of  arms  and  ammunition.  One  man 
of  his  party  had  been  killed. 


^'im 


1812.] 


r//£   BATTLE   OF  QUEENSTOWN. 


In  retaliation,  the  Canadians  fitted  out  a  much 
more  formidable  expedition  against  Ogdcnsburg.  It 
consisted  of  about  seven  hundred  and  fifty  men,  who 
on  the  2d  of  October  embarked  in  forty  boats,  and 
under  the  escort  of  two  gunboats  moved  up  the  St. 
Lawrence.  At  the  same  time,  the  British  batteries 
at  Prescott,  opposite  Ogdensburg,  opened  fire  on 
that  place,  which  was  returned  by  an  American  bat- 
tery. The  next  day  was  spent  in  preparations,  and 
in  the  forenoon  of  Sunday,  the  4th,  the  final  embark- 
ation was  made  from  Prescott,  in  twenty-five  boats 
and  the  two  gunboats.  As  a  blind,  they  proceeded 
up  the  river  past  Ogdensburg  for  some  distance. 
Then  suddenly  they  turned  about  and  bore  down 
upon  that  place,  while  at  the  same  instant  the  Brit- 
ish batteries  reopened  fire  on  the  village.  The 
American  battery,  together  with  a  company  of  rifle- 
men, all  under  command  of  General  Jacob  Brown, 
reserved  fire  till  the  flotilla  was  within  point-blank 
range,  and  then  opened  all  at  once.  The  fire  was 
returned,  and  kept  up  steadily  for  an  hour.  Two  of 
the  boats  were  so  damaged  that  they  had  to  be 
abandoned,  and  another,  with  its  crew,  was  cap- 
tured. The  expedition  then  returned  to  Prescott 
without  having  effected  a  landing  on  American  soil. 

In  the  surrender  of  Detroit  was  included  the  brig- 
of-war  Adams,   which  left   the  Americans  with  no 


48 


rilE  BATTLE  OF  QUEENSTOIVN. 


[1812. 


u.    m 


nava!  force  whatever  on  the  upper  lakes.  Lieuten- 
ant Jesse  D.  Elliott,  of  the  navy,  was  sent  to  Buffalo 
to  organize  a  flotilla,  and  soon  after  a  detachment  of 
sailors  to  man  it  was  ordered  thither  from  New 
York.  In  October  the  Adams,  which  the  British 
had  renamed  Detroit,  and  a  smaller  vessel,  the  6^?/^- 
donia,  which  had  taken  part  in  the  capture  of  Mich- 
ilimackinac,  came  down  Lake  Erie,  and  cast  anchor 
near  Fort  Erie.  Elliott  formed  a  plan  for  their  cap- 
ture, and  with  a  force  of  fifty  sailors  and  fifty  sol- 
diers embarked  in  boats  at  midnight  of  the  8th. 
They  rowed  silently  across  the  river,  and  before  they 
were  discovered  leaped  upon  the  decks  of  the  ves- 
sels, secured  the  crews,  weighed  anchor,  and  headed 
for  the  American  shore.  As  the  wind  was  too  light 
to  carry  them  up  stream,  they  were  obliged  to  run 
down  past  the  British  batteries.  The  Caledonia, 
which  had  a  valuable  cargo  of  furs,  was  run  ashore 
at  Black  Rock  and  secured.  The  Detroit  fought  the 
enemy's  batteries  while  unsuccessful  efforts  were 
made  to  tow  her  beyond  their  reach.  Finally  she 
drifted  ashore  at  Squaw  Island,  where  her  captors 
abandoned  her,  taking  away  their  prisoners.  A 
party  of  British  soldiers  subsequently  boarded  her, 
but  were  driven  off  by  fire  from  a  battery.  In  the 
course  of  the  day  she  underwent  a  heavy  fire  from 
both  sides,  and  in  the  evening  a  British  party  were 


I8l2.] 


THE  BATTLE   OF  QUEEN STOWN. 


49 


prcparinj;^to  recover  her,  when  they  were  anticipated 
by  an  American  party  who  boarded  her  and  set 
her  on  fire.  For  this  exploit,  in  which  half  a  dozen 
of  his  men  were  killed,  Congress  gave  Lieutenant 
Elliott  a  vote  of  thanks  and  a  sword. 

These  comparatively  trifling  incidents  of  border 
war  were  succeeded  by  one  much  more  serious, 
though  not  more  effective.  In  the  summer  General 
Dearborn  had  entered  into  an  armistice  with  Sir 
George  Prevost,  the  British  commander  in  Canada, 
which  set  free  the  enemy's  troops  on  the  Niagara 
frontier,  who  were  promptly  moved  against  Hull  at 
Detroit.  That  campaign  being  finished,  a  large  part 
of  them  was  drawn  back  to  the  line  of  the  Niagara, 
and  when  in  the  autumn  a  movement  in  that  quarter 
was  contemplated  by  the  Americans,  they  were  con- 
fronted by  a  considerable  force  at  every  point  where 
a  crossing  was  possible,  while  General  Brock,  the 
victor  of  Detroit,  was  on  the  ground,  commanding 
the  whole,  and  ready  to  concentrate  them  at  any 
point  that  might  be  attacked.  He  expected  the 
crossing  to  take  place  at  the  mouth  of  the  river. 

General  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer,  commanding  all 
the  forces  on  the  American  side  of  the  Niagara,  de- 
termined to  cross  from  Lewiston,  at  the  foot  of  the 
rapids,  seven  miles  below  the  great  Falls,  and  seize 
Quecnstown.     The   importance  of    the  place  arose 


'^^^B 

.'^ 


50 


TJ/E  BATTLE   OF  QUEEN STOWN. 


[1812. 


1  '' 

:i 

1  ^' 

1 

1  % 

ill 

|K      ,'| 

mi 

il      ; 

M 

^1       ' 

n 

\      -K 

^ra 

^      \ 

[WW 

•  n       a 

!H  . 

R^KI 

from  the  fact  that  it  was  the  terminus  of  the  portage 
between  Lake  Ontario  and  the  upper  lakes.  At  this 
point  the  high  ground  through  Avhich  the  great 
chasm  of  the  river  below  the  Falls  has  been  cut 
slopes  down  to  a  lower  plateau,  on  which  stands  the 
village  of  Oueenstown. 

The  British  had  one  piece  of  artillery  on  the 
Heights,  south  of  the  village,  and  another  on  the 
bank  of  the  river  a  mile  below.  It  was  believed  by- 
many  that  General  Van  Rensselaer,  who  had  been  a 
prominent  Federalist,  was  opposed  to  the  war  and 
purposely  delayed  moving  against  the  enemy. 
Whether  this  was  true  or  not,  the  discontent  with 
his  tardiness  was  so  loudly  expressed  and  had  begun 
so  to  demoralize  his  troops,  that  at  last  he  acknowl- 
edged himself  compelled  by  it  to  move.  He  had 
minute  information  as  to  the  situation  and  strength 
of  each  post  of  the  enemy  on  the  western  bank  of 
the  river,  and  could  choose  his  own  point  for  cross- 
ing. He  had  about  six  thousand  troops  under  his 
command — regulars,  volunteers,  and  militia.  The 
immediate  command  of  the  attacking  force  was 
assigned  to  his  cousin,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Solomon 
Van  Rensselaer,  which  occasioned  serious  dissatis- 
faction, because  he  was  only  an  ofificer  of  New  York 
militia,  while  some  of  the  ofificers  who  had  been  or- 
dered to  join  the  expedition  were  commissioned  in 


I6l2.] 


THE  BATTLE   OF  QUEENSTOIVN. 


SI 


the  United  States  regular  army,  and  therefore  ranked 

him. 

Thirteen  Lirge  boats,  capable  of  carrying  340  men, 
with  their  equipments,  were  brought  on  wagons  and 
launched  at  Levviston  on  the  loth  of  October,  and 
arrangements  were  made  for  crossing  before  daylight 
the  next  morning. 

That  night  a  cold,  northeast  storm  set  in,  and  the 
troops,  who  were  promptly  brought  to  the  rendez- 
vous, stood  shivering  for  hours  in  the  rain  and  dark- 
ness, on  the  river-bank,  waiting  for  the  boats,  which 
did  not  come.  At  length  day  dawned,  and  the 
•crossing  had  to  be  postponed.  It  afterward  ap- 
peared that  the  boats  had  been  intrusted  to  one 
Lieutenant  Sims,  who  was  said  to  have  taken  them 
up  the  river,  far  beyond  the  point  at  which  they  were 
wanted,  and  then  abandoned  the  expedition.  No 
sufficient  motive  has  ever  been  assigned  for  this  ex- 
traordinary conduct  on  the  part  of  the  lieutenant. 

It  has  been  suggested   that    he  was  so   incensed   at 

» 

seeing  the  command  given  to  an  ofificer  of  militia, 
that  he  was  willing  to  destroy  his  own  reputation,  if 
he  had  any,  for  the  sake  of  frustrating  the  move- 
ment. 

Two  days  later  the  attempt  was  renewed.  Three 
hundred  regulars  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  John 
Chrystie,    and   an   equal   number    of   militia   under 


'I 

\4 


13- 


if 


52 


77//;'    BATTLE   OF   QUEENSTOWN. 


[1812. 


Colonel  Van  Rensselaer,  were  to  cross  the  river  be- 
fore daybreak  of  the  13th,  and  storm  the  Heights  of 
Queenstown,  and  the  remainder  of  the  troops  to 
foilovv  and  reenforce  them.  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Winfield  Scott  arrived  from  Buffalo  on  the  even- 
ing of  the  1 2th,  and  asked  leave  to  join  the  expedi- 
tion, but  was  refused.  Yet  he  placed  a  battery  on 
Levviston  Heights,  to  protect  the  troops  while  they 
were  crossing. 

It  was  still  cold  and  stormy  when  the  embarkation 
took  place.  All  the  regulars  and  a  few  of  the  militia 
crossed,  and  ten  of  the  boats  returned  for  a  second 
load.  The  other  three  boats,  in  one  of  which  was 
Chrystie,  had  missed  their  way  in  going  over. 
'  A  force  of  the  enemy,  under  Captain  Dennis, 
moved  down  promptly  to  resist  the  landing,  and 
some  of  the  Americans  were  killed  or  wounded  be- 
fore they  stepped  on  shore.  Captain  John  E.  Wool, 
being  the  senior  offlcer  present,  assumed  the  com- 
mand, and  quickly  moved  his  troops  up  the  bank, 
where  they  formed  in  line  at  the  foot  of  the  Heights. 
The  enemy  was  reenforced  almost  at  the  same  time, 
and  attacked  the  Americans  in  front  and  on  the  right 
flank  with  artillery  and  musketry.  Wool  stood  his 
ground,  though  he  had  no  artillery,  and  a  short  but 
bloody  fight  ensued.  Of  the  ten  officers  of  regulars, 
two  were  killed,  and  four,  including  Wool  himself, 


"mM' 


[l8l2. 


I8I2.] 


THE  BATTLE   OF  QUEENSTOWN. 


5>5 


iver  he- 
ights of 
oops  to 
Colonel 
e  even- 
expedi- 
ttery  on 
lile  they 

larkation 

le  militia 

a  second 

hich  was 

;r. 
Dennis, 

iing,  and 

nded  be- 

E.  Wool, 
he  com- 
,ie  bank, 
Heights, 
me  time, 
the  right 
stood  his 
ihort  but 
regulars, 
himself,  -\ 


severely  wounded.  The  left  wing  was  composed  of 
the  militia.  There  the  fighting  was  less  severe,  but 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Van  Rensselaer  was  so  seriously 
wounded  that  he  was  obliged  to  withdraw  from  the 
contest  and  recross  the  river.  The  steady  and  well- 
directed  fire  of  Wool's  men  drove  the  enemy's  left 
wing  back  into  the  village  ;  but  his  right  wing, 
stationed  on  the  Heights,  was  unmoved.  Annoyed 
by  the  fire  from  that  quarter,  the  Americans  fell 
back  to  the  river-bank  to  re-form,  and  were  soon  re- 
enforced  by  another  company  of  regulars. 

Receiving  leave,  rather  than  orders,  from  Van 
Rensselaer  to  capture  the  Heights,  Wool  placed  the 
fresh  troops  on  his  right,  and  set  out  upon  the  task, 
while  Lieutenant  Lush  followed  in  rear  of  the 
column,  with  orders  to  shoot  down  any  man  who 
faltered.  Wool  first  moved  his  command  southward 
along  the  water's  edge,  the  bank  sheltering  them 
from  the  sight  of  the  enemy,  and  then  at  the  point 
where  the  gofge  of  the  river  made  a  sharp  edge,  as 
it  were,  to  the  Heights  began  the  ascent,  still  out 
of  sight  of  the  battery-men.  In  many  places  the 
pathway  was  so  steep  and  rugged  that  the  soldiers 
had  to  use  their  muskets  like  alpenstocks,  and  climb 
by  seizing  the  bushes,  and  "  boost  "  one  another. 
Wool  was  foremost  in  the  scramble,  and  near  the  top 
found  a  fisherman's  path  which  led  to  the  plateau, 


HI 

(Hi 


ii[ 


i:    ' 
\ 

1^ 

i 

i 

1    i 

(    1 

!, 

r 

i 

1 

'1 

i            ■ 

i 

54 


rff£  BATTLE   OF  QUEENSTOWM. 


[l8l2. 


and  had  been  left  unguarded  because  it  was  sup- 
posed to  be  impassable.  By  this  path  they  gained 
the  summit,  and  silently  filed  out  upon  the  plain  to 
the  rear  and  right  of  the  British  battery. 

Meanwhile  General  Brock,  hearing  the  sounds  of 
battle,  had  ridden  up  rapidly  from  Fort  George  at 
the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  now  stood  near  this 
battery,  watching  the  operations  below.  A  sudden 
volley  of  musketry  in  the  rear  startled  him,  and  the 
appearance  of  Wool's  column  rushing  down  upon 
the  battery  caused  him  to  retreat  down  the  slope 
without  waiting  to  mount  his  horse,  followed  by  his 
staff  and  the  artillerymen,  and  their  entire  infantry 
support.  When  the  sun  rose,  a  few  minutes  later,  it 
shone  upon  the  American  flag  floating  over  the  cap- 
tured works. 

Brock  sent  orders  to  General  Sheaffe  at  Fort 
George  to  bring  up  reenforcements,  and  at  the  same 
time  to  open  an  artillery  fire  on  Fort  Niagara,  on 
the  opposite  bank  ;  for  the  British  commander  had 
been  all  the  while  of  opinion  that  the  movement  on 
Queenstown  was  but  a  feint,  and  that  the  real  attack 
would  be  made  at  the  mouth  of  the  river.  Without 
waiting  for  the  reenforcements,  Brock  placed  himself 
at  the  head  of  the  troops  that  had  just  been  driven 
from  the  Heights,  and  the  troops  in  the  village,  and 
attempted  to  recapture  the  lost  position.     As  the 


:1 


1 

tl 

r 

I8I9.] 


THE  BATTLE   OF  QUEEN STOWN. 


55 


assaulting  force  moved  up  the  slope,  it  bore  to  the 
west,  to  envelop  the  left  flank  of  the  Americans. 
Wool  sent  a  detachment  to  check  this  movement  ; 
but  his  men  were  too  few,  and  his  whole  command 
was  forced  back  till  it  stood  with  a  powerful  enemy 
in  front  and  a  precipice  behind  it.  At  this  point  of 
time,  a  captain  raised  a  white  handkerchief  on  the 
point  of  a  bayonet  ;  but  in  an  instant  Wool  tore  it 
down  with  his  own  hands,  and  then,  addressing  a 
few  inspiriting  words  to  his  men,  he  persuaded  them 
to  re-form  their  somewhat  broken  ranks,  and  keep 
up  a  steady  and  effective  fire.  When  their  ammu- 
nition was  nearly  exhausted,  they  made  a  gallant 
bayonet  charge  which  drove  the  enemy  down  the 
slope. 

Brock  rallied  his  troops  for  a -^ other  assault,  re- 
ceived a  few  reenforcements,  and  was  just  setting 
the  column  in  motion  when  a  bullet  struck  his  breast 
and  he  fell  mortally  wounded.  His  troops,  now 
under  command  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  McDonell, 
rushed  forward  with  the  cry  of  "  Revenge  the 
General  !"  but  to  no  purpose.  Wool's  little  band 
stood  firm,  and  drove  back  the  enemy  once  more 
with  serious  loss,  McDonell  being  mortally  wounded, 
and  the  two  officers  next  in  command  disabled, 
while  ten  men  and  an  Indian  chief  remained  with 
the  Americans  as  prisoners.     The  troops  who  had 


i  1 


S6 


THE  BATTLE   OF  QUE  ENS  TOWN. 


[1812. 


accomplished  this  gallant  feat  were  recruits  who  had 
never  seen  service  before,  and  their  leader,  now  but 
twenty-three  years  of  age,  had  not  received  a  mili- 
tary education,  but  was  a  bookseller  and  then  a  law- 
student,  until  commissioned  as  a  captain. 

About  ten  o'clock  reenforcements  were  sent  over 
to  Wool,  and  Lieutenant-Colonels  VVinficld  Scott 
and  John  Chrystie,  and  General  William  Wads- 
worth,  soon  followed  them.  The  last-named  officer, 
who  was  in  plain  clothes,  modestly  made  known  his 
rank,  but  insisted  that  the  command  should  be  as- 
sumed by  Scott,  whom  he  heartily  and  efficiently 
supported.*  Wool  was  now,  from  loss  of  blood, 
obliged  to  withdraw  from  the  field.  Scott  had 
about  six  hundred  men  —  three  hundred  and  fifty 
regulars  and  two  hundred  and  fifty  militia.  He 
placed  them  in  position  to  repel  any  attack  of  the 
enemy,  and  at  the  same  time  to  cover  the  crossing 
of  the  remaining  mihtia,  which  was  to  be  sent  over 
to  him  at  once. 

All  this  time  General  Roger  H.  Sheaffewas  hurry- 
ing up  from  Fort  George  with  troops,  in  obedience 
to  thr  orders  sent  to  him  by  Brock  in  the  morning. 
Hr  arrived   on  the  field,  and  was  ready  for  action 


,e  was  uncle  of  General  James  S.  Wadsworth,  who  was  killed  in 
attle  of  the  Wilderness  in  1864.  ** 


ii 


I8l2.] 


THE  BATTLE   OE  QUEENSTOWN. 


57 


5  killed  in 


about  two  o'clock.     His  entire  force   consisted    of 
about   thirteen   hundred   soldiers  and   five  hundred 

Indians. 

The  militia  on  the  American  shore  could  overlook 
the  field  of  battle,  and  saw  the  a[)proach  of  Sheaffe. 
hut  when  General  Van  Rensselaer  attempted  to 
move  them  across  the  river  to  the  support  of  their 
victorious  but  hard-pressed  countrymen,  they  re- 
fused to  stir.  The  law  provides  that  militia  shall 
not  be  compelled  to  serve  beyond  the  bounds  of  the 
State  against  their  will  ;  the  men  fell  back  upon  this 
privilege,  and  all  entreaty  was  in  vain.  This  action 
— or  non-action — on  the  part  of  the  militia  has  sub- 
jected them  to  severe  censure,  and  has  uniformly 
been  attributed  to  pure  cowardice.  But  while  it  was 
probably  not  altogether  justifiable,  there  were  some 
circumstances,  not  generally  mentioned,  which  par- 
tially excuse  it.  For  instance,  they  knew  that, 
through  gross  mismanagement,  all  the  boats,  except 
one  small  scow,  had  been  allowed  to  float  off  down 
the  current  or  be  captured  by  the  enemy  ;  and  hence 
if  they  crossed  it  must  be  by  a  small  boatload  at  a 
time,  instead  of  in  a  body. 

In  spite  of  this  disappointment,  Scott  resolved  to 
make  the  best  fight  he  could  with  what  troops  he 
had.  The  first  attack  was  made  on  his  left  flank  by 
the  Indians,  who  were  commanded  by  John  Biant, 


ffl 


n 

C'i 

i  -1 

( 

1' 
1 

i 

Ml 

4 

;8 


TIfJS  BATTLE   OF  QUEENSTOWN. 


[l8l2. 


a  son  of  the  Joseph  Brant  of  Revolutionary  fame. 
This  attack  Scott  repelled  with  gallant  bayonet 
charges  ;  but  when  about  four  o'clock  Sheaffe  moved 
up  his  whole  force,  and  doubled  back  the  right 
flank,  the  Americans  were  obliged  to  retreat.  A 
few  let  themselves  down  the  precipice,  clambering 
from  ledge  to  ledge  and  from  bush  to  bush,  but 
when  they  reached  the  water's  edge  there  were  no 
boats  to  receive  them.  The  greater  part  retreated 
a  short  distance  along  the  road  leading  from  Queens- 
town  to  the  Falls  ;  but  seeing  escape  was  impossi- 
ble, they  surrendered  in  a  body.  To  do  this,  they 
had  to  send  a  flag  of  truce  through  the  line  of  Ind- 
ians, and  it  was  three  times  fired  upon  before  it 
finally  reached  the  British  commander.  The  last 
time  it  was  borne  by  Scott  in  person. 

So  ended  the  battle  of  Queenstown,  which  was  a 
very  remarkable  action,  and  with  better  management 
might  have  had  a  different  termination.  General 
Van  Rensselaer,  in  his  of^cial  despatches,  labored 
to  create  the  impression  that  the  refusal  of  the 
militia  to  cross  the  stream  was  the  whole  cause  of 
the  final  disaster,  and  at  the  same  time  he  studiously 
avoided  mentioning  the  names  of  the  officers — Wool 
and  Scott — to  whom  was  due  the  credit  for  all  the 
successes  and  glory  of  the  day. 

The  Americans,   in   this  series  of  engagements, 


I8l2.] 


rilE  BATTLE   OF  QUEENSTOWN. 


59 


lost  about  ninety  men  killed,  a  hundred  wounde«J, 
and  nearly  a  thousand  taken  prisoners.  The  British 
loss  has  never  been  determined.  The  American 
prisoners  were  sent  to  Quebec,  where  twenty-three 
Irishmen  were  separated  from  the  others  and  sent  to 
England  to  be  tried  for  treason,  on  the  ground  that 
they  were  British  subjects  and  had  been  fighting 
against  their  own  flag.  As  soon  ag  the  American 
authorities  had  an  equal  number  of  prisoners  in  their 
possession  they  placed  them  in  close  confinement, 
and  gave  notice  that  their  fate  would  be  determined 
by  that  of  the  twenty-three  Irishmen.  People  who 
know  nothing  of  historical  experience  in  such  mat- 
ters always  cry  out  against  any  proposal  of  retalia- 
tion, arguing  that  it  will  simply  result  in  the  murder 
of  all  the  prisoners  on  both  sides.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  when  retaliation  is  promptly  and  firmly  threat- 
ened for  violation  of  the  laws  of  war,  it  always  has 
the  effect  of  stopping  the  outrage.  And  so  it  proved 
in  this  case  ;  for  twenty-one  of  the  captured  Irish- 
men lived  to  return  to  their  adopted  country.  The 
other  two  died  in  prison. 

During  the  funeral  of  General  Brock,  minute  guns 
were  fired  by  the  Americans  on  the  eastern  bank  of 
the  river,  "  as  a  mark  of  respect  to  a  brave  enemy." 
Ther':'  was  perhaps  no  harm  in  this  little  bit  of  sen- 
timent, though  if  the  Americans  remembered  that 


I  •  f,  a  ] 


63 


THE  BATTLE   OF  QUEEN STOVVN. 


L181: 


two  months  before,  in  demanding  the  surrender  of 
Detroit,  General  Brock  had  threatened  to  let  loose  a 
horde  of  savages  upon  the  garrison  and  town,  if  he 
were  compelled  to  capture  it  by  force,  they  must 
have  seen  that  their  minute  guns  were  supremely 
illogical,  not  to  say  silly.  Brownell,  in  one  of  his 
best  poems,  expresses  the  true  sentiment  for  such  a 
case  : 

"  The  Muse  would  weep  for  the  brave, 
But  how  shall  she  chant  the  wrong? 
When,  for  the  wrongs  that  were, 
Hath  she  lilted  a  single  stave  ? 
Know,  proud  hearts,  that,  with  her, 
'Tis  not  enough  to  be  brave." 


CHAPTER   V. 


WAR  ON   THE   OCEAN. 

The  President  and  the  Little  Be/t— The  President  and  the  Behidera — 
Hull's  Race — The  Constitution  and  the  Giierriere — Effect  of  the 
\'ictory — The  l^asp  and  the  Frolic — The  United  States  and  the 
Macedonian — The  Constitution  and  \\\ejava — Nelson's  Prediction. 

While  the  year  1812  brought  nothing  but  disas- 
ter to  the  land  forces  of  the  United  States,  on  the 
ocean  it  was  fruitful  of  victories  that  astonished  the 
world.  It  is  greatly  to  the  credit  of  President 
Madison  that  he  followed  the  advice  of  Captains 
Stewart  and  Bainbridge,  in  opposition  to  his  entire 
Cabinet,  to  develop  and  use  the  navy,  instead  of 
laying  it  up.  That  was  not  only  the  wise  but  the 
appropriate  thing  to  do.  This  was  pre-eminently  a 
sailors'  war,  entered  upon  chiefly  for  the  purpose  of 
protecting  American  seamen  from  impressment  in  a 
foreign  service,  and  its  ultimate  result  would  be  a 
settlement  of  the  question  whether  American  ships 
were  to  be  at  liberty  to  sail  the  high  seas  at  all,  or 
whether,  as  a  poet  of  our  day  puts  it,  the  Atlantic 
Ocean  was  to  be  considered  merely  John  Bull's  back 
yard.     It  was  the  wise  thing  to  do,  because,  if  a  na- 


i 


'  .^*ii 

'  '1     :     *      " 

H 


63 


IVAR   OJV    THE   OCEAN. 


[l8l2. 


tion  determines  to  go  to  war  at  all,  it  should  do  it 
in  earnest  ;  and  the  most  efTective  war  is  made  when 
the  earliest  and  most  persistent  blows  arc  directed 
at  the  enemy's  vital  part.  Of  all  Great  Britain's 
possessions  that  could  be  reached  by  balls  or  bayo- 
nets, her  ships  at  sea  were  the  most  important  to  her. 
Canada  might  be  overrun,  or  even  conquered,  and 
she  would  hardly  feel  its  loss — or  at  least  she  could 
exist  without  it  ;  but  anything  that  weakened  her 
navy  and  deranged  her  commerce  would  make  every 
Englishman  feel  the  penalties  of  war. 

A  slight  foretaste  of  what  American  seamanship 
and  gunnery  might  do  had  been  afforded  by  an  affair 
that  took  place  a  year  before  the  war  broke  out. 
The  American  frigate  President,  of  forty-four  guns, 
with  Commodore  John  Rodgers  on  board,  was  cruis- 
ing off  Sandy  Hook  in  May,  i8ii,  searching  for  an 
Enfjlish  frigate  that  had  taken  a  sailor  from  an 
American  brig,  when  she  sighted  a  strange  craft.  In 
answer  to  her  hail,  the  stranger  fired  a  shotted  gun, 
and  the  shot  struck  the  mainmast.  The  President 
promptly  returned  the  fire,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
broadsides  and  musketry  blazed  out  from  both  ves- 
sels. As  soon  as  Rodgers  perceived  the  inferiority 
of  his  antagonist,  he  ordered  his  gunners  to  cease 
firing  '  but  no  sooner  were  his  guns  silent  than  the 
stranger  opened  again.     With  another  broadside  or 


pL- 


I8l2.] 


IV.l/i   OA'    THE   OCEAN. 


(>l 


two  the  President  completely  crippled  her,  and  then 
hailed  and  got  an  answer.  As  darkness  now  came 
on,  Rodgers  lay  to  for  the  night,  kee'ping  lights  dis, 
played,  in  case  the  stranger  should  need  assistance. 
In  the  morning  he  sent  an  officer  on  board,  who 
learned  that  she  was  the  British  ship  Little  Belt ; 
that  she  was  badly  damaged,  and  had  lost  thirty-one 
men  killed  or  wounded.  But  she  declined  receiving 
any  assistance.  On  board  the  President  one  boy 
had  been  slightly  wounded.  Each  vessel  sailed  for 
home,  and  each  commander  told  his  own  story,  the 
two  accounts  being  widely  different.  The  versio. 
here  given  is  that  of  the  American  officers.  Accord- 
ing to  the  English  captain,  the  President  began  the 
action  by  firing  a  broadside  into  the  unoffending 
Little  Belt.  Each  government  accepted  the  state- 
ment of  its  own  officers,  and  there  the  matter  rested. 

It  was  this  same  vessel,  the  President,  tnat  fought 
the  first  action  of  the  war.  With  news  of  the  decla- 
ration came  orders  to  Commodore  Rodgers,  then  in 
New  York,  to  sail  on  a  cruise  against  the  enemy. 
Within  one  hour  he  was  ready.  The  Hornet,  of 
eighteen  guns.  Captain  Lawrence,  was  ready  at  the 
same  time,  and  the  Essex,  of  thirty-two  guns,  Cap- 
tain Porter,  a  few  hours  later. 

Information  had  been  received  that  a  large  fleet 
of   English    merchantmen   had   left  Jamaica,  under 


64 


l^VA/i   ON   THE   OCEAN. 


[l8l2. 


a  strong  convoy,  for  England,  and  on  the  2 1st 
of  June,  Rodgers  left  the  port  of  New  York  with 
his  squadron,  in  search  of  them.  He  did  not  frid 
them  ;  but  on  the  morning  of  the  23d  a  sail  appeared 
in  sight,  which  proved  to  be  the  British  frigate  Bcl- 
vidcra,  and  the  President  gave  chase.  About  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  vessels  were  within 
gunshot,  and  Rodgers  opened  fire  with  his  bow- 
guns,  sighting  and  discharging  the  first  one  himself. 
The  ball  struck  the  rudder-coat  of  the  Behidera, 
and  passed  into  the  gun-room.  The  next  shot  struck 
the  muzzle  of  one  of  her  stern-chasers.  The  third 
killed  two  men  and  wounded  five.  At  the  fourth 
shot  the  gun  burst,  blowing  up  the  forecastle  deck, 
on  which  Rodgers  was  standing,  and  hurling  him 
into  the  air.  The  explosion  also  killed  or  wounded 
sixteen  men.  This  caused  a  lull  in  the  action,  and 
the  Behidera  s  men  went  back  to  their  guns  and  re- 
turned the  fire  with  considerable  effect.  The  Presi- 
dent soon  began  to  forge  ahead,  when  the  Behidera 
cut  loose  her  anchors,  stove  her  boats  and  threw 
them  overboard,  started  fourteen  tons  of  water,  and 
thus  lightened,  managed  to  escape,  and  a  few  days 
afterward  made  the  port  of  Plalifax.  The  total  loss 
of  the  President,  killed  and  wounded,  in  this  action, 
was  twenty-two  ;  that  of  the  Behidera,  about  half 
as  many. 


I8l2.] 


IV A /i    ON    THE    OCEAN. 


65 


An  English  privateer  was  captured  by  the  Hornet 
on  the  9th  of  July,  and  subsequently  seven  mer- 
chantmen, and  an  American  vessel  that  had  been 
captured  by  the  enemy  was  retaken. 

When  the  Bclvidcra  carried  into  Halifax  the  news 
of  the  declaration  of  war,  and  that  the  American 
cruisers  were  out,  a  squadron  of  five  vessels,  under 
Captain  Vere  Broke  in  the  Shamion,  was  sent  out  to 
destroy  Rodgers.  They  did  not  find  him,  but  they 
captured  several  American  merchantmen  off  the  port 
of  New  York,  and  also  took,  after  a  smart  chase,  thp 
little  brig-of-war  Nautilus. 

The  Essex,  which  had  left  port  a  little  later  than 
the  President  and  Hornet,  took  several  prizes,  one  of 
them  being  a  transport  filled  with  soldiers.  She  was 
chased  by  the  Alert,  of  twenty  guns,  and  fired  upon. 
The  Essex  was  armed  with  carronades,  guns  not  in- 
tended for  work  at  long  distances.  Waiting  till  the 
enemy  had  come  pretty  near,  she  suddenly  opened 
her  broadside,  and  in  eight  minutes  the  Alert  struck 
her  colors. 

The  great  war-game  on  the  ocean  began  in  earnest 
when  Captain  Isaac  Hull  sailed  from  the  Chesapeake 
in  July,  in  the  Constitution,  a  frigate  of  forty-four 
c^uns.  On  the  17th  he  came  in  sight  of  five  vessels, 
which  proved  to  be  Broke's  squadron,  and  the  next 
day  he  was  surrounded  by  them.     As  the  wind  was 


I, 
f  ■ 

■4- 


■'m 


I 


^..-:i 


'^-  ■«! 


y 


CG 


JV.IR   OA'    THE   OCEAN. 


[i8l2. 


very  light,  he  resorted  to  "  kcdging"  to  keep  out  of 
reach  of  them.  This  consisted  in  sending  a  boat 
ahead  for  perhaps  half  a  mile,  with  a  hedge  anchor 
and  lines.  The  kedge  was  then  dropped,  and  the 
lines  carried  back  to  the  ship.  These  being  fastened 
to  the  windlass,  the  crew,  by  turning  it  and  winding 
them  up,  pulled  the  vessel  up  to  the  anchor.  While 
this  was  being  done,  the  boat  was  going  ahead 
with  another  kedge  and  lines,  to  repeat  the  opera- 
tion and  make  it  continuous.  The  flagship  of  the 
British  squadron  was  pretty  close  in  chase  when  the 
American  frigate  was  thus  seen  to  be  walking  away 
from  it.  The  enemy  soon  found  out  how  the  mys- 
terious movement  was  made,  and  resorted  to  the 
same  expedient.  But  it  was  not  possible  to  ap- 
proach very  near  by  this  means,  as  it  would  have 
brought  his  boat  under  the  fire  of  the  American's 
stern-guns.  Captain  Hull  had  cut  away  some  of  the 
woodwork  and  run  two  twenty-four  pounders  out  at 
his  cabin  windows,  and  also  mounted  a  long  gun  on 
his  spar  deck  as  a  stern-chaser.  Whenever  there  was 
a  little  wind,  every  vessel  set  every  stitch  of  canvas 
she  could  carry,  and  all  the  nicest  arts  of  seamanship 
were  resorted  to  to  gain  the  slightest  advantage. 
Eleven  ships  were  in  sight  most  of  the  time,  all  par- 
ticipating in  the  contest.  An  American  merchant- 
man appeared  to  windward,  and  the  British  vecsels. 


I8l2.] 


tVAJ?   ON    THE   OCEAN. 


67 


% 


not  wishing  to  leave  the  chase,  displayed  an  Ameri- 
can ensign  to  decoy  her  within  reach  of  their  guns. 
Thereupon  the  Constitution  hoisted  an  English  flag, 
to  v/arn  her  off.  This  exciting  race  was  kept  up  for 
three  days.  In  the  evening  of  the  second  day,  it 
was  evident  that  a  heavy  squall  was  coming  up. 
Just  before  it  struck  the  Constitution,  all  the  light 
canvas  was  furled,  and  the  ship  was  brought  under 
short  sail  in  a  few  minutes.  When  the  pursuing 
vessels  observed  this,  they  began  at  once  to  let  go 
and  haul  down  without  waiting  for  the  wind.  Pres- 
ently the  squall  came,  and  with  it  a  rainstorm  that 
hid  the  vessels  from  one  another.  As  soon  as  this 
happened,  the  Constitution  sheeted  home  and  hoist- 
ed her  fore  and  main  topgallant  sails,  and  while  her 
pursuers  were  steering  in  different  directions  to  avoid 
the  force  of  the  squall,  and  believed  her  to  be  borne 
down  by  the  pressure  of  the  wind,  she  was  sailing 
straight  away  from  them  at  the  rate  of  eleven  knots 
an  hour.  When  the  squall  was  over,  the  nearest 
vessel  of  the  British  squadron  was  seen  to  be  a  long 
way  astern,  and  to  have  fallen  off  two  points  to  lee- 
ward, while  the  slowest  ones  were  so  far  behind  as 
to  be  almost  out  of  sight.  The  chase  was  kept  up 
during  the  night,  but  in  the  morning  was  found  to 
he  so  hopeless  that  it  was  abandoned. 
This  contest,  though  a  mere  race,  attended  with 


'  H 


H 


''!|'    9 


68 


PVAfi   ON    THE   OCEAN. 


fl8l2. 


m*-* 


no  fightinj^,  no  damage  of  any  kind,  and  only  a 
negative  result,  is  famous  in  the  annals  of  the  ocean. 
It  was  a  fine  instance  of  that  superior  seamanship 
which  stood  the  American  sailor  in  good  stead 
throughout  the  war,  and  contributed  quite  as  much 
as  his  valor  to  the  brilliant  victories  that  rendered 
Great  Britain  no  longer  the  mistress  of  the  seas. 

Hull  made  sail  for  Boston,  and  after  a  short  stay 
in  that  port  sailed  again  on  the  2d  of  August.  He 
cruised  along  eastward  as  far  as  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence,  where  he  captured  and  burned  two 
small  prizes,  and  then  stood  southward.  In  the 
afternoon  of  the  19th  a  sail  was  descried  from  the 
masthead,  and  the  Constitution  at  once  gave  chase. 
Within  an  hour  and  a  half  she  was  near  enough  to 
the  stranger  to  see  that  she  was  a  frigate  ;  and  a  lit- 
tle later  she  laid  her  maintopsail  aback  and  waited 
for  the  Constitution,  evidently  anxious  for  a  contest. 

Hull  immediately  put  Ims  vessel  in  complete  trim 
for  a  fight,  cleared  for  action,  and  beat  to  quarters. 
At  five  o'clock  the  English  frigate,  which  proved  to 
be  the  Gucrricre,  of  thirty-eight  guns,  Captain 
Dacres,  hoisted  three  ensigns  and  opened  fire.  The 
Constitution  approached  cautiously,  so  as  to  avoid 
being  raked,  firing  occasionally,  but  reserving  most 
of  her  guns  for  close  action. 

After  an  hour  of  this,  the  Gucrricre  indicated  her 


I8I2.J 


ll'.iA'    O.V    THE   OCEAN. 


69 


reiidincss  for  a  square  fight,  yard-arm  to  yard-arm, 
and  the  Constitution  set  her  sails  to  draw  alongside. 
The  fire  from  both  ships  became  gradually  heavier, 
and  in  ten  minutes  the  mizzen-mast  of  the  Gucrricre 
was  shot  away.  The  Constitution  then  passed  slowly 
ahead,  keeping  up  a  constant  fire,  her  guns  b^ing 
double  shotted  with  grape  and  round  shot,  and  at- 
tempted to  get  a  position  across  the  bows  of  the 
enemy  and  rake  her.  But  in  trying  to  avoid  being 
herself  raked  while  gaining  this  position,  she  luffed 
short,  and  fell  foul  of  her  enemy.  At  this  moment 
the  cabin  of  the  Constitution  took  fire  from  the  flash 
of  the  Guerricre' s  guns,  and  for  a  while  it  looked  as 
if  she  would  fare  hardly.  But  by  the  energy  and 
skill  of  Lieutenant  B.  V.  Hoffman,  who  commanded 
in  the  cabin,  the  fire  was  extinguished,  confusion 
prevented,  and  a  gun  of  the  Guerricre  that  might 
have  repeated  the  mischief  disabled. 

The  instant  the  vessels  came  together,  each  at- 
tempted to  board  the  other  ;  but  a  close  and  deadly 
fire  of  musketry  prevented.  On  the  American  side, 
Lieutenant  Morris,  Master  Alwyn,  and  Mr.  Bush, 
Lieutenant  of  Marines,  sprang  to  the  taffrail  to  lead 
their  men,  when  they  were  all  shot  down.  Finding 
it  impossible  to  board,  the  Constitution  filled  her  sails 
and  shot  ahead,  and  a  moment  later  the  Gucrrierc  s 
foremast  fell  and  carried  the  mainmast  with  it.   This 


70 


ly/t/^   OAT    THE   OCEAN. 


[1812. 


'    1 


reduced  her  to  a  wreck,  and  as  a  heavy  sea  was  on 
she  was  helpless.  The  Constitution  hauled  off  a  short 
distance,  repaired  damages,  and  at  seven  o'clock 
wore  round  and  took  a  position  for  raking.  An  en- 
sign that  had  been  hoisted  on  the  stump  of  the  miz- 
zen-mast  was  at  once  hauled  down  in  token  of  sur- 
render, and  the  prize  was  won.  A  lieutenant  sent 
on  board  returned  with  the  news  that  she  was  one  of 
the  squadron  that  had  so  lately  chased  the  Constitu- 
tion. 

The  victor  kept  near  her  prize  through  the  night, 
and  at  daylight  the  officer  in  charge  reported  that 
the  Gucrricrc  had  four  feet  of  water  in  the  hold  and 
was  in  danger  of  sinking.  Captain  Hull  therefore 
transferred  the  prisoners  to  his  own  vessel,  recalled 
the  prize  crew,  and  set  the  wreck  on  fire.  In  fifteen 
minutes  the  flames  reached  the  magazine,  and  the 
hulk  that  still  remained  of  the  proud  English  frigate 
was  blown  to  pieces. 

In  this  battle  the  Constitution  lost  seven  men  killed 
and  seven  wounded.  Her  rigging  suffered  consider- 
ably, but  her  hull  was  only  very  slightly  damaged. 
The  Gucrricre  lost  seventy-nine  men  killed  or 
wounded.  The  location  of  this  battle  may  be  found 
by  drawing  a  line  directly  east  from  the  point  of  Cape 
Cod,  and  another  directly  south  from  Cape  Race  ; 
the  point  of  intersection  will   be  very  near  the  bat- 


iiaisiiiji     1; 


I8I2.J 


PVA/i   0:V    THE   OCEAN. 


7' 


tlc-^round.  It  is  a  little  south  of  the  track  of 
steamers  between  New  York  and  Liverpool. 

The  news  of  this  victory  was  a  startling  revela- 
tion, on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic.  In  expressing 
their  contempt  for  the  American  navy,  the  English 
journals  had  especially  ridiculed  the  Constitution,  as 
"  a  bunch  of  pine  boards,  under  a  bit  of  striped 
bunting."  This  bunch  of  boards  had  now  outsailed 
a  squadron  of  eleven  British  war-vessels,  and  in  a 
fight  of  half  an  hour  had  reduced  one  of  their  frigates 
to  a  wreck  and  made  her  strike  her  colors.  It  was 
true  that  the  American  ship  was  slightly  superior  in 
number  of  men  and  guns  ;  but  this  would  not  ac- 
count for  the  superiority  of  seamanship,  the  better 
gun-practice,  and  the  enormous  difference  in  losses. 
Captain  Dacres,  who  was  afterward  put  on  trial  for 
losing  his  ship,  asserted  that  he  had  sent  away  a 
considerable  number  of  his  men  in  prizes  ;  that  he 
had  several  Americans  in  his  crew  who  refused  to 
fight  against  their  countrymen,  and  that  he  permit- 
ted them  to  go  below.  But  all  allowances  that 
could  be  made  did  not  change  the  essential  charac- 
ter of  the  victory.  Only  a  short  time  before,  the 
London  Courier  had  said,  "  There  is  not  a  frigate  in 
the  American  navy  able  to  cope  with  the  Gucrricre." 

Captain  Hull,  who  was  now  in  his  thirty-eighth 
year,  had  entered   the  navy  at  the  age  of  twenty- 


-ji 


Ir    i 


72 


WAR    ">N    THE    OCEAN. 


Li8t2. 


thfee,  and  had  gained  distinction  in  the  war  with 
Tripoli.  When  he  landcu  in  Boston  with  his  pris- 
oners, nearly  the  whole  population  of  the  town 
turned  out  to  greet  him.  Flags  and  streamers  were 
displayed  on  every  hand,  decorated  arches  spanned 
the  streets,  and  a  banquet  was  spread  for  him  and 
his  crew.  He  made  a  sort  of  triumphal  progress  to 
New  York  and  Philadelphia,  where  sinfiilar  honors 
were  paid  him,  and  handsome  swords  and  snuff- 
boxes presented  to  him.  Congress  voted  him  a  gold 
medal,  to  each  of  his  commissioned  officers  a  silver 
medal,  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  to  the  crew  as 
prize  money. 

In  his  of^cial  report  the  Captain  said  :  "  It  gives 
me  great  pleasure  to  say  that,  from  the  smallest, boy 
in  the  ship  to  the  oldest  seaman,  not  a  look  of  fear 
was  seen.  They  all  went  into  action  giving  three 
cheers,  and  requesting  to  be  laid  close  alongside  the 
enemy."  The  London  Times  said  :  "it  is  not 
merely  that  an  English  frigate  has  been  taken,  after 
what  v/e  are  free  to  confess  may  be  called  a  brave  re- 
sistance, but  that  it  has  been  taken  by  a  new  enemy, 
an  enemy  unaccustomed  to  such  triumphs,  and 
likely  to  be  rendered  insolent  and  confident  by 
them.  He  must  be  a  weak  politician  who  does  not 
see  how  important  the  first  triumph  is,  in  giving  a 
tone  and  character  to  the  war.     Never  before  in  the 


ISI2.] 


WA/i   ON    THE   OCEAN. 


73 


history  of  the  world  did  an  English  frigate  strike  to 
an  American  ;  and  though  we  cannot  say  that  Cap- 
tain Dacres,  under  all  circumstances,  is  punishable 
for  this  act,  yet  we  do  say  there  are  commanders  in 
the  English  navy  who  would  a  thousand  times  have 
rather  gone  down  with  their  colors  flying  than  have 
set  their  brother  officers  so  fatal  an  example." 

The  next  naval  contest,  in  the  order  of  time,  was 
that  of  the  Wasp  and  the  Frolic,  one  of  the  bloouiest 
of  the  war.  The  Wasp,  an  American  sloop-of-war, 
of  eighteen  guns,  commanded  by  Captain  Jacob 
Jones,  was  a  very  fast  sailer,  and  had  gone  to 
Europe  with  despatches,  when  the  war  broke  out. 
On  her  return  she  was  refitted  with  all  haste  and  sent 
out  on  a  cruise.  In  the  night  of  October  17th,  about 
five  hundred  miles  off  Cape  Hattcras,  she  slighted  a 
fleet  of  six  English  merchantmen  under  convoy  of 
the  Frolic,  a  brig,  of  twenty-two  guns.  Captain 
Whinyates.     Four  of  the  merchantmen  v.erc  armed. 

The  next  morning,  the  sea  being  somcwliat  rough, 
the  Wasp  was  put  under  short  canvas  and  got  into 
fighting  trim,  and  then  bore  down  upon  the  Frolic, 
which  kept  herself  between  her  convoy  and  the 
enemy.  She  also  was  under  short  canvas,  and  her 
main-yard  was  on  deck.  About  half  past  eleven 
o'clock  the  Wasp  came  up  close  on  the  starboard 
side  of  the  Frolic,  and  broadsides  were  exchanged  at 


il 


-  i 


^1- 


^^^n- 


|l!   -' 


74 


IVJ/?   ON   THE   OCEAN. 


[1812. 


the  distance  of  only  sixty  yards.  The  fire  of  the 
Englishman  was  the  more  rapid,  but  that  of  the 
American  was  the  more  deliberate  and  effective.  In 
a  little  over  four  minutes  the  Wasfs  maintopmast 
was  shot  off  and  with  the  maintopsan-yard  (ell  across 
the  braces,  rendering  the  head-yards  unmanageable. 
A  few  minutes  later  her  gaff  and  mizzen-topgallant- 
mast  were  shot  down  ;  and  before  the  action  was 
over,  every  brace  and  most  of  the  rigging  was  car- 
ried away.  The  shot  of  the  Wasp  was  directed 
mainly  at  her  enemy's  hull,  and  the  firing  on  both 
sides  was  kept  up  with  great  spirit,  little  or  no  at- 
tempt being  made  to  manoeuvre,  and  the  vessels 
gradually  approaching  each  other.  At  last  they  were 
so  near  that  the  American  gunners  touched  the  side 
of  the  Frolic  with  their  rammers,  her  bowsprit 
passed  over  the  Wasp' s  quarterdeck,  and  the  latter 
was  brought  directly  across  the  Englishman's  bows, 
in  position  for  raking.  Captain  Jones  ordered  a 
broadside  ;  and  when  it  was  fired,  the  muzzles  of 
two  of  the  guns  were  actually  in  the  bow  ports  of 
the  Frolic,  and  the  discharge  swept  her  from  stem 
to  stern. 

As  no  sign  of  submission  had  come  from  the 
enemy,  Captain  ]  nes  was  about  to  repeat  the  rak- 
ing, but  v/as  prevented  by  the  impetuosity  of  his 
crew.     A  sailor  named  John  Lang,  who  had  once 


mu 


1812.] 


IVAJ?    ON   THE    OCEAN. 


75 


been  impressed  on  a  British  man-of-war,  hot  for  re- 
venge, sprang  upon  the  bowsprit  of  the  Frolic,  cut- 
lass in  hand,  and  was  followed  by  Lieutenant  Biddle 
and  an  impromptu  boarding-party.  They  met  no 
opposition.  Two  or  three  officers,  wounded  and 
bleeding,  were  standing  on  the  after-part  of  the 
deck  ;  there  was  a  cool-headed  old  seaman  at  the 
wheel  ;  and  dead  and  wounded  sailors  were  lying 
about  in  all  directions.  The  officers  threw  down 
their  swords,  and  Lieutenant  Biddle  sprang  into  the 
rigging  and  hauled  down  the  British  flag.  The  bat- 
tle had  lasted  forty-three  minutes.  On  board  the 
Wasp,  five  men  had  been  killed  and  five  wounded. 
The  loss  on  the  Frolic  has  never  been  ascertained,  it 
was  at  least  seventy-five.  Captain  Whinyates,  in 
his  official  report,  said  that  not  twenty  of  his  m.cn 
escaped  injury. 

The  two  vessels  were  separated,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  both  masts  of  the  Frolic  fell.  Arrangements 
were  made  for  sending  her  into  Charleston  with  a 
prize  crew,  while  the  Wasp  should  repair  damages 
and  continue  her  cruise.  But  before  this  plan  could 
even  be  fairly  entered  upon,  the  British  shipof-the- 
line  Poiciicrs,  carrying  seventy-four  guns,  hove  in 
sight,  and  speedily  made  prize  of  both  vessels  and 
took  them  to  Bermuda. 

On  the  same  day  when   this  action  took   place, 


W\ 


] 


,i 


L  .1 

.1 

til 

il 

i^ 


76 


^VA/^   ON   THE   OCEAN. 


[1812. 


■±LjiA 


Commodore  Stephen  Decatur,  cruising  in  the  frigate 
United  States,  captured  the  British  packet  Sivailow, 
which  had  on  board  a  large  quantity  of  specie.  He 
continued  his  cruise  eastward,  and  only  a  week  later 
(October  25th),  at  a  point  about  midway  between 
the  Azores  and  the  Cape  Verd  Islands,  sighted  a 
large  vessel  to  windward,  which  proved  to  be  the 
English  frigate  Macedonian,  carrying  forty-nine  guns, 
Captain  Carden.  She  was  somewhat  smaller  than 
the  United  States,  and  had  fewer  men.  Decatur 
made  up  to  the  stranger  ;  but  she  had  the  advan- 
tage of  the  wind,  and  for  some  time  managed  to  keep 
out  of  reach.  At  length,  after  considerable  manceu- 
vring,  the  distance  was  shortened,  and  both  vessels 
opened  fire  with  their  long  guns.  The  gunnery  of 
the  American  was  superior,  and  while  sustaining  little 
injury  herself  she  inflicted  serious  damage  upon  her 
antagonist.  At  the  end  of  half  an  hour,  the  distance 
had  been  still  more  diminished,  so  that  the  carron- 
ades  were  brought  into  use.  A  carronade  is  a  short 
gun,  throwing  a  com.paratively  large  ball  with  not 
very  great  velocity.  The  size  of  the  ball  and  its 
slower  motion  cause  it  to  splinter  and  tear  a  ragged 
hole  in  th^  side  of  a  ship,  wh(^re  a  smaller  shot  with 
a  greater  velocity  would  pass  through  and  make  a 
smooth  round  hole,  which  could  easily  be  plugged 
up  again. 


lSl2.] 


WA/i    ON    THE   OCEAN. 


77 


As  the  Macedonian  became  disabled,  she  fell  off 
to  leeward,  while  the  United  States  passed  ahead  and 
to  windward,  and  then  tacked  and  came  up  under 
her  lee.  The  firing,  which  had  been  entirely  with 
artillery,  now  ceased  on  both  sides.  The  Macedo- 
nian s  mizzen-mast  was  gone,  her  main  and  foretop- 
masts  carried  away,  her  main-yard  cut  in  two,  and 
her  ensign  had  disappeared.  The  United  States 
hailed  her,  and  was  answered  that  she  had  struck 
her  colors.  She  had  received  a  hundred  shot  in  her 
hull,  most  of  them  in  the  waist.  She  went  into  the 
action  with  three  hundred  men,  of  whom  she  lost 
thirty-six  killed  and  sixty-eight  wounded.  On  board 
were  seven  impressed  American  sailors,  two  of  whom 
were  killed.  On  the  United  States  five  men  were 
killed  and  seven  wounded.  Her  rigging  was  con- 
siderably cut,  but  otherwise  she  received  very  little 
injury. 

Decatur  took  his  prize  to  New  York,  going  in  by 
way  of  Long  Island  Sound,  where  he  arrived  on 
New  Year's  day,  1813.  He  was  received  with  a 
great  ovatirin,  and  there  were  banquets,  orations, 
and  public  ojoicings  unlimited.  Congress,  follow- 
ing the  precedent  set  in  the  case  of  Hull,  voted  a 
gold  medal  to  the  commander,  and  a  silver  one  to 
each  of  his  commissioned  officers. 

A  member  of  the  British  Parliament,   making  a 


i. 


II 


m 


*  'I 


Ir. 


>^  i- 


78 


rr^i?   OiV   T//£   OCEAN. 


[1812. 


speech  concerning  this  affair,  said  he  "  lamented 
that,  with  the  navy  of  Great  Britain  against  that  of 
America,  vvhicii  consisted  of  only  four  frigates  and 
two  sloops,  two  of  our  finest  frigates  were  now  in 
their  possession,  captured  by  only  two  of  theirs. 
This  was  a  reverse  which  English  officers  and  Eng- 
lish sailors  had  not  before  been  used  to,  and  from 
such  a  contemptible  navy  as  that  of  America  had 
always  been  held,  no  one  could  suppose  such  an 
event  could  have  taken  place." 

And  the  London  Independent  Whig  was  con- 
strained to  say  :  "A  powerful  and  rival  nation  is 
now  rapidly  rising  in  the  west,  whose  remonstrances 
we  have  hitherto  derided,  but  whose  resentment  we 
shall  soon  be  taught  to  feel  ;  who  for  our  follies  or 
our  crimes  seems  destined  to  retaliate  on  us  the  mis- 
eries we  have  inflicted  on  defenceless  and  oppressed 
states,  to  share  with  us  the  fertile  products  of  the 
ocean,  and  snatch  from  our  feeble  and  decrepit 
hands  the  imperial  trident  of  the  main." 

But  the  cup  of  English  humiliation  was  not  yet 
full.  The  Americans  had  another  able  commander, 
with  a  stanch  ship  and  a  fearless  crew,  who  now 
came  in  for  his  turn.  This  was  Commodore  William 
Bainbridge,  who  sailed  from  Boston  late  in  October, 
on  board  the  Constitution,  the  same  vessel  with 
which  Hull  had  conquered  the  Guerriere,     In  com- 


\ 


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THE    CONSTITUIKBAxND    Tin 


muLStms^ 


loNSriTUTlCBAND    THE    JAVA. 


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i. 

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1  ''i 

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I8I2.] 

pany  w 
guns,  c 

They 
Hornet 
to  bloci 
sailing 
Lawrer 
brigs,  0 
Englisl 

The 
29th,  o 
frigate 
Lam  be 
off  the 
distant 
him. 
contest 
was  he; 
vantagi 
Constit 
wore,  c 
several 
her  wh 
managi 
covete( 

The 
down  I 


I8l2.] 


fVA/i   OAT    THE   OCEAN. 


79 


pany  with  her  sailed  the  brig  Hornet,  of  eighteen 
guns,  commanded  by  Captain  James  Lawrence. 

They  cruised  southward,  and  in  December  the 
Hornet  was  left  at  San  Salvador,  or  Bahia,  Hra/.il, 
to  blockade  an  English  brig  that  was  on  the  point  of 
sailing  with  a  large  amount  of  specie  on  board. 
Lawrence  had  sent  in  a' challenge  to  fight  the  two 
brigs,  on  even  terms,  just  outside  the  harbor,  but  the 
English  captain  declined. 

The  Constitution  continued  her  cruise,  and  on  the 
29th,  off  the  Brazilian  coast,  sighted  the  English 
frigate  Java,  carrying  thirty-eight  guns,  Captain 
Lambert.  Bainbridge  tacked  and  drew  the  stranger 
off  the  land,  which  was  not  more  than  thirty  miles 
distant,  and  when  far  enough  away  stood  toward 
him.  The  enemy  seemed  quite  as  anxious  for  a 
contest,  and  ::bout  two  o'clock  it  began.  The  firing 
was  heavy  and  continuous.  The  Java  had  the  ad- 
vantage of  the  wind,  and  attempted  to  cross  the 
ConstitxUion  s  bow,  to  rake  her.  But  the  latter 
wore,  and  avoided  it.  This  manoeuvre  was  repeated 
several  times,  and  at  length  the  Constitntion,  though 
her  wheel  had  been  shot  away,  making  it  difficult  to 
manage  the  steering-gear,  succeeded  in  getting  the 
coveted  position,  and  raked  her  antagonist. 

The  Java,  which  had  been  badly  damaged,  ran 
down  upon   the   Constitution  with  the   intention   of 


•:i  ; 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
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Photographic 

Sdences 

Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  NY.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


i> 


So 


WAR   ON   THE   OCEAN. 


[1812. 


boarding.  But  her  jibboom  became  entangled  in 
the  Constitution  5  mizzen-rigging,  and  she  was  held 
there  and  raked  mercilessly.  At  this  time  her  bow- 
sprit and  foremast  were  shot  away. 

The  two  vessels  now  separated,  and  after  consid- 
erable manoeuvring  came  together  again,  yard-arm 
and  yard-arm,  and  reopened  their  broadsides.  Now 
the  Java's  mizzen-mast  tumbled,  and  her  main-mast 
was  the  only  stick  left  standing.  The  Constitution 
then  hauled  off,  and  spent  an  hour  in  repairing  dam- 
ages, at  the  end  of  which  time  she  wore  round  and 
stood  across  her  antagonist's  bow,  when  the  English 
colors  vvere  struck. 

The  action  had  lasted  an  hour  and  fifty-five  min- 
utes. The  Constitution  had  lost  nine  men  killed  and 
twenty-five  wounded.  Commodore  Bainbridge  being 
slightly  wounded.  The  loss  on  board  the  Java  was 
variously  stated  ;  the  lowest  estimate  made  it 
twenty-two  killed  and  one  hundred  and  one  wound- 
ed. Bainbridge  said  that  sixty  were  killed.  Cap- 
tain Lambert  was  mortally  wounded.  The  whole 
number  on  board  was  four  hundred,  including  Gen- 
eral Hislopand  his  staff  and  other  officers,  who  were 
on  their  way  to  the  East  Indies, 

The  Java  was  a  complete  wreck,  and  after  a  day 
or  two  it  was  determined  to  blow  her  up,  which  was 
done  after  all  the  prisoners  and  wounded  had  been 


I8l2.] 


IVAJ!   OAT    THE   OCEAN. 


8k 


carefully  removed.  She  might  have  been  towed 
into  Bahia  ;  but  Brazil  was  friendly  to  Great  Britain, 
and  Bainbridge  did  not  want  to  trust  his  prize  in  a 
Brazilian  harbor.  He,  however,  landed  his  prisoners 
there,  and  paroled  them. 

The  Cojistitiition  —  which  received  the  name  of 
"Old  Ironsides,"  on  account  of  escaping  serious 
damage  in  this  action  -  arrived  at  Boston  in  Feb- 
ruary. Here  the  same  welcome  that  had  been  given 
to  Hull  and  Decatur  was  extended  to  Bainbridge. 
The  cities  of  New  York  and  Albany  gave  him  gold 
snuff-boxes,  Philadelphia  gave  him  a  service  of  sil- 
ver, and  Congress  voted  the  usual  medals,  with  fifty 
thousand  dollars  of  prize  money  for  the  crew. 

In  the  first  six  months  of  the  war,  the  little 
American  navy,  for  which  Congress  had  done  noth- 
ing, and  from  which  nothing  had  been  expected, 
had  six  encounters  with  English  cruisers,  and  in 
every  one  was  victorious.  These  defeats  were  a  sore 
trouble  to  English  naval  historians,  who  have  ever 
since  been  laboring  to  explain  them  away.  They  have 
invented  all  sorts  of  ingenious  theories  to  account 
for  them  ;  but  it  has  never  occurred  to  them  to 
adopt  the  simple  explanation  that  they  were  defeats, 
brought  about  by  superior  seamanship  and  gunnery, 
backed  up  by  the  consciousness  of  a  just  cause,  on 
the  part  of  the  Americans.    The  favorite  explanation 


! 


i 


I 


f:l 


82 


IVA/f   ON   THE  OCEAN. 


has  been,  that  the  American  so-called  frigates  were 
seventy-four-gun  ships  in  disguise  ;  that  the  English 
crews  were  all  green  hands,  and  their  numbers  were 
not  full  at  that.  A  few  years  later,  General  Scott 
met  a^  a  dinner  in  London  a  young  British  naval 
officer,  who  superciliously  inquired,  "  whether  the 
Americans  continued  to  build  line-of-battle  ships, 
and  to  call  them  frigates."  "  We  have  borrowed  a 
great  many  excellent  things  from  the  mother  coun- 
tr)'-,"  answered  Scott,  "  and  some  that  discredit  both 
parties.  Among  the  latter  is  the  practice  in  ques- 
tion. Thus  when  you  took  from  France  the  Guer- 
riere,  she  mounted  forty-nine  guns,  and  you  instant- 
ly rated  her  on  your  list  a  thirty-six-gun  frigate  ; 
but  when  we  captured  her  from  you,  we  found  on 
board  the  same  number,  forty-nine  guns  !" 

During  this  same  half  year,  nearly  three  hundred 
British  merchantmen  had  been  captured  and  brought 
into  American  ports.  In  this  work  the  little  navy 
had  been  assisted  by  a  large  number  of  privateers, 
which  had  sailed  from  our  ports,  under  letters  of 
marque,  and  had  not  only  helped  themselves  to  the 
rich  spoils  of  British  commerce,  but  had  occasionally 
fought  with  armed  cruisers. 

These  disasters  were  no  more  than  had  been  pre- 
dicted by  Lord  Nelson,  the  greatest  of  English  ad- 
mirals.    After  watching  the  evolutions  of  an  Ameri- 


l8l2.J 


tVAK   ON   THE  OCEAN. 


83 


can  squadron  commanded  by  Commodore  Richard 
Dale,  in  the  bay  of  Gibraltar,  he  is  reported  to  have 
said  to  an  American  gentleman  who  was  on  board 
his  flagship  that  "there  was  in   those  transatlantic 
ships  a  nucleus  of  trouble  for  the  maritime  power  of 
Great  Britain.     We  have  nothing  to  fear  from  any- 
thing on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  ;  but  the  manner 
in  which  those  ships  are  handled  makes  me  think 
that  there  may  be  a  time  when  we  shall  have  trouble 
from  the  other," 


I 


CHAPTER  VI. 

MINOR   BATTLES   IN   THE  WEST. 

Winchester's   Expedition — Fight    at    Frenchtown — Massacre    at   the 
Raisin — Siege  of  Fort  Meigs. 

At  the  opening  of  the  year  1813,  General  William 
Henry  Harrison,  who  had  won  a  high  reputation  by 
his  victory  over  the  Indians  at  Tippecanoe  in  18 11, 
being  now  in  command  of  the  forces  in  the  West, 
endeavored  to  concentrate  them  for  a  movement 
against  the  British  and  savages  at  Detroit  and  Mai- 
den. An  expedition  composed  mainly  of  Kentucky 
troops,  under  General  James  Winchester,  was  mak- 
ing its  way  northward  through  Ohio  to  join  him  ; 
and  Leslie  Coombs,  of  Kentucky,  accompanied  by 
a  single  guide,  went  through  the  woods  more  than  a 
hundred  miles  on  foot  to  inform  Harrison  of  their 
approach. 

When  Winchester's  expedition  reached  the  rapids 
of  the  Miami,  he  wa?  met  by  messengers  from  the 
pioneers  about  the  River  Raisin,  informing  him  that 
the  enemy  was  organizing  a  movement  against  the 
settlements  there,  and  imploring  him  to  protect 
them.     A  detachment  of  six  hundred  and  sixty  men, 


a,    ' 


i8i3] 


MINOR  BATTLES  IN   THE    WEST. 


85 


under  Colonels  Lewis  and  Allen,  was  sent  forward, 
and  pushing  on  with  the  greatest  possible  rapidity, 
nriarching  a  part  of  the  way  over  the  frozen  surface 
of  Lake  Erie,  reached  Frenchtown,  on  the  Raisin, 
where  Monroe,  Michigan,  now  stands,  on  the  i8th 
of  January. 

That  place  had  been  occupied  a  few  days  before 
by  a  hundred  English  and  four  hundred  Indians, 
who  now  took  the  alarm  and  prepared  to  resist  the 
advancing  expedition.  As  he  approached  the  vil- 
lage, Colonel  Lewis  formed  his  command  in  columns, 
and  moved  forward  in  the  face  of  a  heavy  fire  of 
musketry  and  artillery.  The  enemy  was  posted  be- 
hind the  houses  and  garden  fences  of  the  village, 
which  stood  on  the  north  side  of  the  river  ;  and  the 
Americans,  who  had  no  artillery,  crossed  over  on 
the  ice  and  at  once  made  a  charge.  Finding  them- 
selves attacked  vigorously  in  front  and  on  the  left 
flank  at  the  same  time,  the  British  retreated  about 
half  a  mile,  and  took  a  new  position  in  the  woods, 
where  they  were  partly  protected  by  fallen  timber. 
Colonel  Lewis  sent  a  detachment  to  strike  this  posi- 
tion on  its  right  flank  ;  and  as  soon  as  he  heard  the 
firing  there.  Colonel  Allen  attacked  it  in  front.  The 
enemy  retreated  slowly,  fighting  at  every  step,  and 
the  Americans  steadily  pressed  their  advantage  till 
dark,  when    they  returned  to    the  village  and  en- 


I'l 


86 


MINOR  BATTLES  IN   THE    WEST. 


[1813. 


camped.  They  had  lost  twelve  men  killed  and  fifty- 
five  wounded.  The  loss  of  the  enemy  was  not 
ascertained,  but  they  left  fifteen  men  dead  on  the 
field  where  the  first  engagement  took  place. 

The  news  of  this  victory  was  sent  at  once  to 
General  Winchester,  who  came  up  promptly  vvith  a 
reenforcement  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  men.  It 
was  expected  that  the  place  would  be  attacked  by  a 
heavier  British  force  from  Maiden,  which  was  but 
eighteen  miles  distant,  and  preparations  were  made 
for  constructing  a  fortified  camp.  But  the  enemy 
came  before  this  could  be  completed.  In  the  night 
of  January  2ist,  Colonel  Henry  Proctor,  with  a  force 
of  about  eleven  hundred,  British  and  savages,  moved 
from  Maiden,  and  early  in  the  morning  of  the  22d 
the  American  sentries  were  surprised.  No  pickets 
had  been  thrown  out,  and  the  troops  were  hardly 
brought  into  line  when  a  heavy  fire  of  artillery  and 
small  arms  was  opened,  both  in  front  and  on  the 
flanks,  the  yells  of  the  savages  being  heard  in  the 
intervals  of  the  discharges. 

The  attack  in  front  was  met  and  repelled  by  a 
steady  fire,  the  Americans  being  considerably  shel- 
tered by  the  stout  garden  fences.  On  the  right  flank 
the  attack  was  not  so  well  resisted,  and  that  wing 
was  soon  brol.en.  It  was  rallied  by  Winchester,  and 
reenforced  by  Lewis  ;  but  the  enemy,  seeing  his  ad- 


^-, 


iSi3] 


MINOR   BATTLES  IN    THE    WEST. 


87 


vantage,  followed  it  up,  and  the  whole  wing,  reen- 
forcements  and  all,  was  swept  away,  the  remnant 
retreating  in  disorder  across  the  river. 

All  efforts  to  rally  the  fugitives  were  vain,  and  in 
a  little  while  the  Indians  overwhelmed  the  left  wing 
also.  The  disorganized  troops  of  this  wing  attempt- 
ed to  escape  by  a  road  that  led  to  the  rapids  of  the 
Raisin  ;  but  the  savages  were  posted  all  along  behind 
the  fences,  and  shot  down  great  numbers  of  them. 
They  then  took  to  the  woods  directly  west  of  the 
village  ;  but  here  also  were  savages  lying  in  wait, 
and  it  is  said  that  nearly  a  hundred  were  tor^- 
hawked  and  scalped  before  they  had  gone  as  many 
yards.  One  party  of  nearly  twenty  men  surren- 
dered, but  all  except  the  lieutenant  in  command  were 
at  once  massacred  by  their  treacherous  captors.  An- 
other party  of  forty  were  overtaken  after  they  had 
retreated  three  miles,  and  compelled  to  surrender, 
when  more  than  half  of  them  were  murdered  in  cold 
blood.  General  Winchester  and  Colonel  Lewis  were 
captured  by  the  Indians,  but  Proctor,  with  some 
difficulty,  got  them  under  his  protection.  Colonel 
Allen,  after  trying  without  success  to  rally  his  men, 
retreated  alone  nearly  two  miles,  and  there  sat 
down  on  a  log,  being  too  much  enfeebled  by  wounds 
to  go  farther.  An  Indian  chief  came  up  and  de- 
manded   his  surrender,   promising  protection  ;    but 


83 


MINOR   BATTLES  IN   THE    WEST. 


[7.813, 


* 


almost  immediately  followed  two  others,  who  evi- 
dently intended  to  scalp  him.  Allen  killed  one  of 
them  with  a  sinfjle  blow  of  his  sword,  and  was  im- 
mediately shot  by  the  other. 

Meanwhile  the  centre  of  the  American  line  could 
not  be  dislodged  from  its  position  behind  the 
fences.  It  was  composed  of  Kentucky  sharpshoot- 
ers, and  some  idea  of  the  havoc  they  made  among 
the  British  regulars  may  be  gained  from  the  fact 
that  out  of  sixteen  men  in  charge  of  one  gun  thir- 
teen were  killed.  Appalled  at  such  losses,  Proctor 
bethought  him  of  a  cheaper  method  than  continued 
fighting.  He  represented  to  General  Winchester, 
now  a  prisoner  in  his  hands,  that  unless  an  immedi- 
ate surrender  were  made,  the  result  would  be  a  com- 
plete massacre  of  the  Americans.  Winchester's 
fears  were  so  wrought  upon  that  he  sent,  by  a  flag 
of  truce,  orders  to  Major  Madison  to  surrender.  As 
he  had  no  right  to  give  orders  of  any  kind  while  a 
prisoner  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  Madison  refused 
to  obey,  but  offered  to  surrender  on  condition  that 
safety  and  protection  should  be  guaranteed  to  him 
and  his  men.  When  Proctor  found  he  could  not  get 
the  place  in  any  other  way  without  a  great  sacrifice 
o(  his  troops,  he  agreed  to  the  terms  proposed,  and 
the  surrender  took  place. 

But  no  sooner  had  the  gallant  little  band  become 


1813] 


MINOR  BATTLES  IN   THE   WEST. 


89 


)t  get 

Icrifice 

and 


^come 


prisoners,  than  Proctor,  like  many  other  British 
officers  of  that  day,  forgot  his  promise,  and  the  sav- 
•k^  ages  began  to  plunder  the  prisoners,  unhindered  by 
their  English  allies.  Thereupon  the  Americans  re- 
sumed their  arms,  and  by  a  vigorous  bayonet  charge 
drove  off  the  Indians. 

The  next  day  the  British  force  started  for  Maiden, 
taking  with  it  all  the  prisoners  who  were  able  to 
march.  The  badly  wounded  were  left  at  French- 
town,  with  no  guard  but  a  British  major  and  the  in- 
terpreters. The  injured  men  were  taken  into  the 
houses,  and  attended  by  two  American  surgeons. 
On  the  morning  of  the  23d,  about  two  hundred  Ind- 
ians who  had  accompanied  Proctor  as  far  as  Stony 
Creek,  and  there  had  a  carouse,  returned  to  French- 
town,  held  a  council,  and  resolved  to  kill  all  the 
prisoners  who  could  not  march  away  with  them. 
They  then  proceeded  at  once  to  plunder  the  whole 
village,  tomahawk  the  wounded  men,  and  set  fire  to 
the  houses.  They  perpetrated  such  outrages  and 
cruelties  that  most  of  the  historians  have  shrunk 
from  detailing  them.  Many  prisoners  who  managed 
to  crawl  out  of  the  burning  buildings  were  thrown 
back  into  the  flames.  A  few  of  the  strongest  were 
marched  off  with  the  savages  toward  Maiden  ;  but 
as  one  by  one  they  became  exhausted,  they  were 
mercilessly  tomahawked  and  scalped.     These  scalps 


'\    u 


If 


I! 

:  ' 


9'> 


MINOR  BA  TTLES  IN   THE    WEST. 


[1813. 


h 


were  carried  to  the  British  headquarters,  where  the 
savages  received  the  premium  for  them. 

Of  the  American  force  engaged  in  this  affair,  three 
hundred  and  ninety-seven  were  killed,  five  hund  d 
and  thirty-seven  were  prisoners,  and  but  thirty-three 
escaped.  The  British  are  said  to  have  lost  twenty- 
four  killed  and  a  hundred  and  fifty-eight  wounded. 
The  loss  of  the  Indians  is  unknown. 

After  the  disaster  at  the  River  Raisin,  General 
Harrison  concentrated  his  remaining  troops — twelve 
hundred  men — and  built  Fort  Meigs,  at  the  foot  of 
the  rapids  of  the  Maumee.  This  work  was  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  stream,  on  high  ground,  and  en- 
closed about  eight  acres.  There  were  several  strong 
block-houses,  and  considerable  artillery. 

General  Proctor,  with  a  force  of  about  one  thou- 
sand British  and  twelve  hundred  Indians,  and  two 
gunboats,  set  out  on  an  expedition  against  this  post 
in  April.  He  crossed  the  lake,  ascended  the  river, 
and  on  the  28th  landed  about  two  miles  below  the 
fort,  but  on  the  opposite  bank.  Here  he  erected  a 
battery,  and  subsequently  he  planted  two  others, 
above  the  fort  but  on  the  left  bank,  and  one  below 
and  very  near  it  on  the  right  bank.  The  Indians, 
commanded  by  the  famous  Tecumseh,  were  landed 
on  the  right  bank,  to  invest  the  fort  in  the  rear. 
The  batteries  opened  fire  on  the  1st  of  May,  and 


i8i3] 


MINOR  BATTLES  IN    THE   WEST, 


91 


kept  it  up  steadily  four  days  ;  but  it  had  very  little 
effect,  owing  largely  to  a  traverse  twelve  feet  high 
and  twenty  feet  thick  which  the  garrison  had  con- 
structed while  the  batteries  were  being  erected. 
Proctor  on  the  third  day  demanded  a  surrender, 
with  the  usual  threat  of  massacre. 

Learning  that  General  Green  Clay  was  coming  to 
liim  with  a  reenforcement  of  eleven  hundred  Ken- 
tuckians,  Harrison  had  sent  word  to  him  to  hurry 
forward  as  fast  as  possible.  At  midnight  on  the  4th 
of  May^  two  officers  and  fifteen  men  from  this  force 
descended  the  river  and  entered  the  fort,  with  the 
news  that  Clay  was  but  eighteen  miles  distant. 
Harrison  sent  orders  to  him  to  send  eight  hundred 
of  his  men  across  the  river  at  a  point  a  mile  and  a 
half  above  the  fort,  thence  to  march  down  the  left 
bank  and  capture  and  destroy  the  enemy's  batter- 
ies ;  the  remaining  three  hundred  to  march  down 
the  right  bank  and  fight  their  way  through  the  Ind- 
ians to  the  fort. 

The  detachment  landed  on  the  left  bank,  com- 
manded by  Colonel  Dudley,  moved  silently  down 
upon  the  British  batteries,  and  then,  raising  a  ter- 
rific yell,  were  upon  them  before  the  enemy  could 
realize  that  he  was  attacked.  The  guns  were  spiked 
and  their  carriages  destroyed  ;  but  instead  of  cross- 
ing to  the  fort  at  once,  as  Harrison's  orders  direct- 


92 


MINOR   BATTLES  IN    THE    WEST. 


[1813. 


'       1 


w-"> 


f!i    \:. 


ed,  the  victors,  flushed  with  their  success,  were 
drawn  into  a  running  fight  with  some  Indians,  and 
finally  fell  into  an  ambush,  and  all  but  about  a  hun- 
dred ana  fifty  were  either  captured  or  killed.  That 
number  reached  their  boats  and  crossed. 

The  detachment  on  the  right  bank,  imder  General 
Clay  himself,  had  some  difificulty  in  landing,  and 
lost  a  few  men  in  fighting  its  way  through  the  Ind- 
ians, but  ultimately  reached  the  fort.  While  these 
movements  were  going  on,  three  hundred  and  fifty 
men  of  the  garrison,  under  Colonel  John  Miller, 
made  a  sortie  against  the  battery  on  the  right  bank, 
captured  it,  spiked  the  guns,  and  returned  with 
forty-three  prisoners. 

When  Clay's  troops  reached  the  fort,  they  were 
joined  by  another  sallying  party,  and  the  combined 
force  moved  against  the  Indians,  whom  Tecumseh 
commanded  in  person,  and  drove  them  through  the 
woods  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  Tc^^umseh  at- 
tempted to  move  a  force  of  British  and  Indians  upon 
their  left  flank  and  rear,  to  cut  off  their  return 
to  the  fort,  but  this  movement  was  frustrated  by 
Harrison,  who  understood  Indian  warfare  quite  as 
well  as  the  great  chief  himself. 

Proctor's  savage  allies,  disgusled  at  his  want  of 
success,  now  began  to  desert  him,  and  he  was 
obliged  to  raise  the  siege  and  retreat.     This  he  did 


I8i3] 


MINOR   BA  TTLES  IN    THE    WEST. 


93 


not  do,  however,  without  keeping  up  his  reputation 
for  treachery  and  cold-blooded  cruelty.  His  prison- 
ers were  taken  to  old  Fort  Miami,  a  short  distance 
down  stream,  where  the  savages  were  allowed  to 
murder  more  than  twenty  of  them.  Captain  Wood, 
an  eye-witness,  says  :  **  The  Indians  were  permitted 
to  garnish  the  surrounding  rampart,  and  to  amuse 
themselves  by  loading  and  firing  at  the  crowd,  or  at 
any  particular  individual.  Those  who  preferred  to 
inflict  a  still  more  cruel  and  savage  death  selected 
their  victims,  led  them  to  the  gateway,  and  there, 
under  the  eye  of  General  Proctor,  and  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  whole  British  army,  tomahawked  and 
scalped  them."  It  is  said  that  the  horrible  work  was 
stopped  by  Tecumseh,  who,  coming  up  when  it  was 
at  its  height,  buried  his  hatchet  in  the  head  of  a 
chief  engaged  in  the  massacre,  crying  :  "  For 
shame!  —  it  is  a  disgrace  to  kill  a  defenceless  pris- 
oner !"  "In  this  single  act,"  says  the  witness  who 
narrates  it,  "Tecumseh  displayed  more  humanity, 
magi.animity,  and  civilization  fhan  Proctor,  with  all 
his  British  associates  in  command,  displayed  through 
the  whole  war  on  the  northwestern  frontiers." 

The  total  loss  to  the  Americans  in  these  actions 
was  eighty-one  men  killed,  two  hundred  and  sixty- 
nine  wounded,  and  four  hundred  and  sixty-seven 
made  prisoners.     It  is  uncertain  what  the  British 


IJ 


•i 

^^t^nir 

IH'^ 

i 

94 


MINOR  BATTLES  IN   THE   WEST. 


[1813. 


loss  was,  but  it  was  probably  somewhat  smaller 
than  that  of  the  Americans. 

In  July,  Proctor  and  Tecumseh,  with  a  combined 
English  and  savage  force  of  about  five  thousand, 
returned  to  Fort  Meigs  and  attc'npted  to  draw  out 
the  garrison  by  strategy  ;  but  Harrison  was,  as  usual, 
too  shrewd  for  them,  and  they  turned  their  attention 
to  Fort  Stephenson.  This  was  an  oblong  stockade 
fort,  about  a  hundred  yards  long  and  fifty  yards 
wide,  with  high  pickets,  surrounded  by  a  deep  ditch 
or  moat.  There  was  a  strong  block-house  at  each 
corner.  It  was  on  the  Sandusky,  where  the  town 
of  Fremont,  Ohio,  now  stands.  The  garrison  con- 
sisted of  one  hundred  and  sixty  men,  commanded  by 
Major  George  Croghan. 

Th^  British  sailed  around  into  Sandusky  Bay,  and 
up  the  river,  while  their  savage  allies  marched  over- 
land and  invested  the  fort  in  the  rear,  to  prevent 
the  approach  of  reenforcements.  Harrison  believed 
the  fort  to  be  untenable,  and  had  sent  orders  to 
Croghan  to  abandon  and  destroy  it  ;  but  these 
orders  did  not  reach  the  Major  till  retreat  had  be- 
come impossible. 

On  the  1st  of  August  Proctor  sent  in  a  flag  of 
truce,  and  demanded  an  immediate  surrender,  accom- 
panied with  the  usual  threat  that  if  it  were  refused 
the  Indians  would  massacre  the  entire  garrison  as 


i»i3.] 


MINOR  BATTLES  IN   THE   WEST. 


95 


soon  as  the  place  was  taken.  The  ensign  who  met 
the  flag  made  answer  that  Major  Croghan  and  his 
men  had  determined  "  to  defend  the  fort,  or  be 
buried  in  it."  Proctor  opened  fire  from  his  gun- 
boats and  four  guns  which  he  had  placed  in  battery 
on  shore,  and  bombarded  the  fort  continuously  for 
two  days  and  nights.  As  this  fire  was  directed 
mainly  against  the  northwest  angle,  Croghan  ex- 
pected the  main  attack  to  be  made  at  that  point, 
and  prepared  for  it.  Besides  strengthening  the 
walls  with  bags  of  sand  and  bags  of  flour,  he  placed 
his  only  gun,  a  six-pounder,  where  it  would  enfilade 
the  ditch  on  that  side,  loaded  it  with  a  double 
charge  of  slugs,  and  masked  it. 

It  was  after  sunset  on  the  3d  when  the  storming 
parties  approached.  Two  columns  passed  around 
the  western  side  of  the  fort,  to  threaten  the  south- 
ern face,  while  a  third,  commanded  by  a  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Short,  approached  the  northwest  angle. 
When  it  was  within  twenty  yards,  the  Kentucky 
'•iflemen  gave  it  a  volley  that  thinned  the  ranks,  but 
did  not  stop  its  progress.  The  Lieutenant-Colonel 
and  a  large  number  of  his  men  scaled  the  outer  line 
of  pickets,  and  poured  into  the  ditch.  "  Now, 
then,"  he  shouted,  "  scale  the  pickets,  and  show 
the  d d  Yankee  rascals  no  quarter  !" 

The  next  moment,  Croghan's  single  piece  of  artil- 


n^ 


96 


MINOR  BATTLES  IN   THE   WEST. 


[1813. 


lery  was  unmasked  and  fired.  It  conmpletely  swept 
the  ditch,  cutting  down  nearly  every  soldier  in  it, 
while  a  volley  of  rifle-balls  finished  the  bloody 
work.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Short,  who  was  mortal- 
ly wounded,  immediately  raised  his  handkerchief  on 
the  point  of  his  sword,  to  ask  for  quarter. 

Another  column  of  red-coats  attempted  the  task  at 
which  the  first  had  so  wofully  failed,  and  the  deadly 
performance  of  the  howitzer  and  the  rifles  was  re- 
peated. The  columns  that  approached  the  fort  on 
the  south  were  driven  off  by  a  single  volley,  and  the 
battle  was  ended.  In  the  night  the  British  gathered 
up  their  dead  and  wounded,  and  the  next  morning 
they  were  seen  to  sail  away,  leaving  behind  a  quan- 
tity of  military  store.-.  They  acknowledged  a  loss 
of  twenty-seven  killed  and  seventy  wounded  ;  but  it 
was  probably  much  larger.  One  American  was 
killed,  and  seven  wounded. 


CHAPTER   VII. 


WAR    ON    THE    LAKES. 

The  Armaments — Preliminary  Operations — Expedition  against  York 
— Death  of  General  Pike — Capture  of  Fort  George — Attack  on 
Sackett's  Harbor — Battle  of  Stony  Creek. 

The  importance  of  the  great  navigable  lakes  lying 
between  the  United  States  and  Canada  had  not  been 
overlooked  by  either  party  to  this  war.  As  soon  as 
it  broke  out,  both  began  preparations  to  secure  the 
ascendency  on  those  waters — which,  besides  its  direct 
advantages,  would  be  almost  necessary  to  either  in 
making  invasions  around  the  coasts.  A  latge  por- 
tion of  the  shores  on  both  sides — more  especially, 
perhap  ,  on  the  American  side — was  at  that  time  a 
wilderness,  and  the  few  open  ports  would  naturally 
hold  out  strong  temptations  to  the  enemy. 

The  chief  advantage  was  with  the  British,  both 
because  the  oldest  and  largest  settlements  were  on 
their  side  of  the  lakes,  and  because  they  had  posses- 
sion of  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  which  made  it  easy 
for  them  to  bring  up  supplies  from  the  seaboard. 
The  Americans,  however,  had  regularly  trained 
naval  ofKicers  in  command  of  their  few  vessels  on 


)'1 


98 


iyA/i   ON   THE  LAKES. 


[1812. 


m  I 


i:  I 


I'il::!'  i>i: 


1;;;  js 

m 


k 


lakes  Ontario  and  Champlain,  while  the  English  had 
not.  The  largest  American  vessel  on  the  lower  lakes 
was  the  Oneida,  of  sixteen  guns  ;  the  largest  Brit- 
ish vessel,  the  Royal  George,  of  twenty-two.  The 
cMiemy  also  had  several  other  vessels,  carrying  from 
a  dozen  to  sixteen  guns  each,  which  it  would  be  use- 
less to  specify,  as  their  names  and  character  were 
several  times  changed  during  the  war.  As  soon  as 
hostilities  were  declared,  both  sides  began  building 
new  ships  and  arming  merchant  schooners. 

In  July,  i8j2,  the  British  fleet  had  made  an 
attempt  to  capture  the  Oneida  and  a  prize  schooner, 
both  of  which  were  at  Sackett's  Harbor.  Lieuten- 
ant-Commander VVoolsey  anchored  the  Oneida  in 
the  harbor,  where  she  could  command  the  entrance, 
placed  half  of  her  guns  in  a  battery  on  shore,  and 
easily  drove  off  the  enemy's  fleet,  whose  perform- 
ance exhibited  very  little  of  the  character  of  serious 
warfare. 

In  October,  of  that  year,  Captain  Isaac  Chauncey 
arrived  at  Sackett's  Harbor,  with  authority  to  organ- 
ize a  fleet.  He  brought  from  New  York  forty  ship- 
carpenters  and  a  hundred  officers  and  seamen,  and  a 
sLipi)ly  of  naval  stores.  He  bought  ten  or  a  dozen 
schooners,  armed  them — generally  with  long  swivel 
guns — and  fitted  them  up  for  naval  service  as  well  as 
their    character    would    admit.       These,    with   the 


l8l2.] 


PVA/^   ON    THE  LAKES. 


99 


Oneida^  carried  forty  guns  and  four  hundred  and 
thirty  men. 

Chauncey's  first  exploit  with  this  fleet  was  to 
chase  the  Royal  George  into  the  harbor  of  Kingston, 
and  attack  the  batteries  there  ;  but  nothing  was  ac- 
comphshed  by  it  save  the  capture  of  two  small 
prizes.  He  lost  one  man  killed  and  eight  wounded 
—  five  by  the  bursting  of  a  gun.  About  the  same 
time  (November,  1812),  an  expedition  was  made  to 
clear  the  Canadian  shore  of  batteries  at  the  head  of 
Niagara  River.  Four  hundred  soldiers  and  sailors, 
commanded  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Roerstler  and 
Captain  King,  crossed  from  Black  Rock  in  twenty 
boats,  assaulted  the  batteries,  and  after  desperate 
fighting  captured  them.  They  then  spiked  all  the 
guns,  burned  the  barracks,  and  retreated  to  the 
shore.  The  usual  bad  management  seems  to  have 
entered  into  this,  as  into  all  the  other  enterprises  of 
the  sort,  and  the  boats  were  not  at  hand  for  the  re- 
crossing  ;  in  consequence  of  which  Captain  King 
and  sixty  of  his  men  were  made  prisoners. 

Nothing  can  be  done  on  the  lakes  in  winter,  as  the 
harbors  are  closed  by  ice  ;  but  the  building  of  ves- 
sels went  on,  and  with  the  opening  of  spring  General 
Dearborn  and  Commodore  Chauncey  began  opera- 
tions which  showed  no  lack  of  activity  and  energy, 
however  well  or  ill  judged  they  may  have  been. 


«  . 
4)    ' 


'l,i! 


It'  I' 

'I 


1^ 


■I  . 


'I  It 
■if;  :*i 


ii  !i 


1: 


100 


^F^/*   OA^    77/£  LAKES. 


[1813. 


York  (now  Toronto)  was  at  this  time  the  capital 
of  Upper  Canada.  It  was  a  place  ot  about  twelve 
hundred  inhabitants,  situated  on  a  beautiful  land- 
locked bay,  about  two  by  three  miles  in  extent. 
The  British  were  known  to  have  a  large  vessel 
there,  the  Prince  Regent,  and  to  be  building  another. 
Mainly  for  the  purpose  of  seizing  this  vessel,  and 
destroying  the  one  on  the  stocks,  General  Dearborn 
planned  an  expedition  against  York.  He  had  sev- 
enteen hundred  men  available  for  the  purpose,  and 
Commodore  Chauncey  had  fourteen  vessels. 

The  expedition  was  organized,  and  sailed  from 
Sackett's  Harbor  on  the  25th  of  April.  The  winds 
were  unfavorable,  and  the  passage  was  somewhat 
tedious  ;  but  the  fleet  arrived  off  the  harbor  of  York 
on  the  27th.  The  intention  was  to  land  the  troops 
by  means  of  boats,  at  a  point  about  two  and  a  half 
miles  west  of  the  town,  the  guns  of  the  fleet  cover- 
ing the  landing,  and  march  at  once  on  the  defences 
of  the  place,  where  General  Roger  H.  Sheaffe  was 
in  command.  But  the  water  was  rough,  and  the 
boats  were  driven  half  a  mile  farther  westvvard, 
where  they  were  compelled  to  land  with  but  little 
protection  from  the  vessels. 

Here  a  body  of  British  and  Indians,  concealed  in 
the  edge  of  a  wood,  were  ready  to  receive  them. 

A  column  of  riflemen,  under  Major  Forsyth,  were 


18I3.J 


IVAA'   ON   THE  LAKES. 


lor 


in  the  first  boats,  and  as  they  approached  the  shore 
the  enemy  opened  upon  them  with  a  destructive 
fire.  Forsyth  lost  a  considerable  number  of  men 
before  he  could  land.  But  his  riflemen  stood  up  in 
the  boats  and  returned  the  fire  with  some  effect," 
and  he  was  followed  quickly  by  a  battalion  of  in- 
fantry under  Major  King,  and  this  by  the  main  body 
under  General  Zebulon  M.  Pike,  who  was  in  imme- 
diate command  of  the  entire  military  force.  The 
fleet  at  the  same  time  contrived  to  throw  a  few 
effective  shots  into  the  woods,  and  the  landing  was 
effected  without  confusion. 

The  skirmishing  party  of  British  and  Indians  had 
been  gradually  strengthened  till,  by  the  time  Gen- 
eral Pike's  forces  were  on  shore,  they  had  an  almost 
equal  force  to  dispute  their  passage  toward  the 
town.  The  enemy  were  still  in  the  woods,  and  as 
soon  as  the  Americans  had  been  formed  in  battle 
order  they  advanced.  The  nature  of  the  ground 
made  it  almost  impossible  to  move  or  use  their  artil- 
lery ;  but  the  enemy  had  three  pieces,  with  which 
they  attacked  the  flanks  of  the  column.  The  fight- 
ing soon  became  hot  and  deadly.  There  were 
charges  and  counter-charges,  one  and  another  part 
of  either  line  alternately  giving  way  and  rallying 
again  ;  but  on  the  whole  the  advantage  was  with  the 
Americans,  and   the   British  were  gradually   forced 


loa 


Pf^A/?   ON   THE  LAKES. 


[i8t3. 


1 

li 

I  i  i 


back  into  the  outer  defences.  The  Indians  are  said 
to  have  fled  from  the  field  early  in  the  action. 

The  approach  to  the  town,  along  the  shore,  was 
crossed  by  numerous  streams  and  ravines,  and  the 
enemy  destroyed  the  bridges  behind  them  as  they 
retired.  Two  pieces  of  artillery  were  with  great 
difificulty  taken  across  one  of  these  ravines  and 
placed  where  they  could  be  brought  to  bear  on  the 
enemy. 

The  orders  to  the  infantry  were,  to  advance  with 
unloaded  muskets  and  carry  the  first  battery  at  the 
point  of  the  bayonet.  This  was  easily  done,  as  the 
enemy  only  remained  long  enough  to  discharge  two 
or  three  cannon-shots  hastily,  and  then  fell  back  to 
his  second  battery,  nearer  the  town. 

General  Pike  led  the  column  forward  at  once  to 
the  second  battery,  which  the  enemy  also  abandoned, 
after  spiking  the  guns.  Here  he  discovered  that 
the  barracks,  three  hundred  yards  still  nearer  to  the 
town,  appeared  to  be  evacuated.  Suspecting  that 
there  might  be  some  scheme  on  the  part  of  the 
enemy  for  drawing  him  into  a  disadvantageous  posi- 
tion, where  a  stand  would  be  made,  he  halted  at  the 
second  battery,  and  sent  forward  Lieutenant  Riddle 
with  a  few  men  to  find  out  the  true  state  of  affairs. 

The  Lieutenant  found  the  barracks  deserted,  and 
was  about  to  return  with  the  information,  when  sud- 


ilH 


'm. 


■4 


i8i3] 


tVAX   OK    THE  LAKES. 


103 


denly  the  ground  was  shaken  by  a  terrific  explosion, 
and  in  a  moment  the  air  was  darkened  by  flying 
boards,  timbers,  and  stones,  bars  of  iron,  shells,  and 
shot.  The  magazine,  containing  five  hundred  bar- 
rels of  powder,  had  been  blown  up.  It  was  situ- 
ated in  a  little  ravine,  the  bank  of  which  protected 
Lieutenant  Riddle's  party,  all  of  whom  escaped. 
But  a  considerable  number  of  the  beams  and  masses 
of  masonry,  passing  over  their  heads,  fell  within  the 
battery.  General  Pike,  who  had  just  been  removing 
a  wounded  prisoner  to  a  place  of  safety,  at  the 
moment  was  seated  on  a  stump,  questioning  a  Brit- 
ish sergeant  who  had  been  captured  in  the  woods. 
As  the  shower  of  debris  came  down  within  the  bat- 
tery, the  General  was  crushed  to  the  earth  by  a  sec- 
tion of  stone  wall,  and  two  of  his  aides  and  the 
wounded  sergeant  were  also  struck  down  —  all  of 
them  being  fatally  injured.  By  this  explosion,  fifty- 
two  Americans  were  killed  outright,  and  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  wounded.  About  forty  British  sol- 
diers also,  who  were  near  the  magazine,  were  killed. 
General  Pike  being  disabled,  the  command  de- 
volved upon  Colonel  Cromwell  Pearce,  who  pushed 
on  with  his  troops  as  soon  as  possible,  though  not  in 
time  to  prevent  the  escape  of  the  British  General 
Sheaffe  and  all  his  regulars  who  remained  unharmed. 
Sheaffe    drew    up   terms   of   capitulation,    and   left 


104 


IVA/!   OJ\r   THE  LAKES. 


[1813. 


li< 


»!■! 


them  in  the  hands  of  the  officer  who  commanded 
the  militia.  As  the  Americans  approaciicd  the 
town,  they  were  met  by  this  officer  with  the  offer  to 
surrender,  the  capitulation  to  include  the  town  and 
all  government  stores  therein.  While  the  parley 
was  going  on,  Shcaffe  destroyed  most  of  the  military 
stores,  set  fire  to  the  war-vessel  that  was  on  the 
stocks,  and  made  off,  but  his  baggage  and  private 
papers  were  captured.  Two  hundred  and  ninety 
officers  and  men — of  the  British  navy  and  militia — 
became  prisoners  and  were  paroled.  General  Pike 
had  enjoined  upon  his  soldiers  the  duty  of  protect- 
ing private  property  in  the  town,  and  given  orders 
that  marauding  should  be  punished  with  death. 
His  wishes  were  carefully  observed  ;  but  the  gov- 
ernment buildings  were  burned. 

General  Pike,  when  his  wound  was  found  to  be 
mortal,  was  borne  off  to  the  fleet.  A  little  while 
afterward  the  British  flag  that  had  floated  over  York 
was  brought  to  him.  He  asked  to  have  it  placed 
under  his  head,  and  in  a  few  minutes  calmly  expired. 
He  was  but  thirty-four  years  of  age,  but  had  per- 
formed valuable  services  for  his  country,  especially 
in  the  command  of  two  exploring  expeditions,  one 
about  the  headwaters  of  the  Mississippi,  and  the 
other  in  what  is  now  western  Louisiana  and  Texas 
—  of  both  of  which  he  published  accounts. 


I8i3j 


IVA/l   ON    THE   LAKES, 


105 


The  war-vessel  that  the  Americans  expected  to 
capture  at  York  had  left  tht  harbor  two  days  before 
their  arrival.  The  troops  abandoned  the  place,  and 
on  the  1st  of  May  were  taken  again  on  board  the 
fleet,  which  as  soon  as  the  weather  would  permit, 
on  the  8th,  sailed  away.  In  this  expedition  the  loss 
of  the  American  land  forces  was  lourtccn  killed  and 
twenty-three  wounded,  besides  those  who  suffered 
from  the  explosion  of  the  magazine.  In  the  fleet, 
seventeen  men  were  killed  or  wounded.  The  British 
regulars  lost  sixty-two  killed  and  ninety  wounded  ; 
the  loss  of  the  Indians  and  militia  was  unknown. 

Two  episodes  of  this  battle  have  been  discussed 
with  considerable  warmth.  The  first  is  the  explo- 
sion of  the  magazine.  It  is  not  certain  that  this 
was  done  purposely.  General  Sheaffe,  in  his  report, 
attributed  it  to  "  an  unfortunate  accident,"  but  two 
English  historians  speak  of  it  with  commendation  as 
a  regularly  laid  plan.  American  writers  who  con- 
demn it  have  done  so  on  the  ground  that,  as  the 
commanding  General  had  made  arrangements  for  a 
surrender,  the  place  was  virtually  surrendered  already, 
and  he  therefore  had  no  farther  right  to  destroy  life 
or  even  property.  Commodore  Chauncey  probably 
gave  the  correct  view  of  the  matter  when  he  wrote  : 
"  I  am  much  inclined  to  believe  that  General  SheafTe 
was  correct  when  he  stated  that  it  was  accidental. 


io6 


H'/l/i   ON    THE   LAKES. 


[1813 


Nor  could  I  condemn  the  enemy,  even  if  a  train  had 
been  laid.  It  is  a  perfectly  legitimate  mode  of  de- 
fence, as  every  student  of  history  knows  ;  and  why 
should  we  censure  the  garrison  for  thus  employing 
an  acknowledged  means  of  defence,  to  check  the 
progress  of  an  invader?"  If  the  surrender  had  not 
virtually  taken  place,  it  is  difficult  to  see  why  the 
defenders  of  the  town  are  to  be  any  more  blamed 
for  firing  a  stone  wall  at  their  enemy  than  they 
would  have  been  for  firing  a  thousand  bullets. 

The  other  point  discussed  is  the  burning  of  the 
government  buildings.  They  were  undoubtedly  set 
on  fire,  though  without  orders  from  headquarters. 
U  was  said  that  the  soldiers  were  incensed  at  finding 
a  human  scalp --presumably  that  of  an  American, 
taken  by  some  Indian,  and  sold  to  the  British 
authorities  for  the  proffered  premium — hanging  on 
the  wall  of  the  legislative  chamber.  This  scalp  and 
the  Speaker's  mace  were  sent  to  Washington, 
where  the  British  troops  found  them  when  they,  in 
turn,  burned  our  government  buildings  a  little  more 
than  a  year  later. 

When  Chauncey's  fleet  left  the  harbor  of  York,  it 
sailed  due  south,  and  landed  the  troops  at  a  point 
four  miles  east  from  the  mouth  of  Niagara  River, 
where  they  went  into  camp.  From  here  a  small  ex- 
pedition   was   fitted   out    under   Lieutenant    Petti- 


I8I3-] 


fVA/i   ON   THE  LAKES. 


I07 


^',  it 
oint 
vcr, 
ex- 
itti- 


grew,  of  the  navy,  who  with  a  hundred  men  sailed 
in  two  schooners  to  the  head  of  Lake  Ontario,  to 
capture  a  large  quantity  of  stores  deposited  there. 
They  landed  on  the  loth  of  May,  drove  ofT  the 
guard,  burned  the  buildings,  and  brought  away  the 
stores.  Chauncey  himself,  with  the  remainder  of 
the  fleet,  carried  the  wounded  to  Sackett's  Harbor, 
whence  he  returned  on  the  25th  with  provisions, 
guns,  and  a  reenforcement  of  about  three  hundred 
and  fifty  men. 

General  Dearborn  immediately  planned  the  cap- 
ture of  Fort  George,  iust  above  the  village  of 
Newark,  on  the  western  side  of  the  Niagara,  two 
miles  from  its  mouth.  It  was  arranged  that  the 
troops  should  be  landed  on  the  lake  shore,  and, 
marching  southward  and  eastward,  attack  the  Brit- 
ish works  from  the  land  side.  The  enterprise  was 
admirably  planned,  and  brilliantly  executed.  The 
water  at  the  proposed  landing-place  was  carefully 
sounded,  and  the  stations  marked  with  buoys.  A 
considerable  number  of  boats,  to  be  used  in  landing 
the  forces,  had  been  built  on  the  shore  of  the  river, 
were  launched  on  May  26th,  and  immediately  drew 
the  fire  of  the  enemy's  batteries. 

Before  daylight  on  the  morning  of  the  27th,  the 
fleet  weighed  anchor.  Five  of  the  vessels  took  posi- 
tions where  they  could  annoy  with  a  cross-fire  the 


.'*' 


I 


it 


i 


108 


fVA/i   ON   THE  LAKES, 


[1813. 


batteries  that  were  within  gunshot  of  the  landing- 
•place.  Others  took  position  for  the  immediate  pro- 
tection of  the  troops,  and  at  the  same  time  Fort 
Niagara  opened  fire  on  Fort  George,  which  was  re- 
turned with  spirit.  All  the  batteries  on  the  river 
joined  in  the  contest,  and  there  was  a  grand  chorus 
of  artillery  firing.  The  battery  immediately  oppo- 
site Fort  George  was  the  most  effective,  and  consid- 
erably damaged  that  work. 

The  troops  were  under  the  personal  command 
of  General  Boyd,  who  had  succeeded  General  Pike. 
With  him  were  many  most  skilful  and  efficient  offi- 
cers, some  of  whom  afterward  became  famous.  The 
gallant  Major  Forsyth  was  there,  with  his  riflemen, 
and  Colonel  Macomb  with  his  artillery.  Winfield 
Scott,  then  a  colonel,  was  there,  and  Captain  Oliver 
Hazard  Perry  had  hurried  down  from  Lake  Erie,  to 
offer  his  services  and  take  part  in  the  enterprise. 

The  preparations  for  the  defence  had  been  quite 
as  well  made  as  those  for  the  attack.  When  the 
boats  loaded  with  troops  approached  the  shore,  a 
column  of  two  hundred  men,  posted  in  a  ravine, 
opened  a  sharp  fire  on  them.  The  fire  was  returned 
from  the  boats,  which  moved  on  without  stopping 
for  a  moment  or  being  thrown  into  any  confusion. 
Captain  Hindman,  of  the  artillery,  was  the  first  man 
to   land   on   the  enemy's  coast  ;  and  many  of  the 


I8i3.] 


PFA/i   ON   THE  LAKES. 


109 


officers  and  men  were  so  eager  to  follow  him  that 
they  leaped  into  the  water  and  waded  ashore. 

The  fire  of  some  of  the  vessels  was  brought  to 
bear  upon  the  enemy  in  the  ravine  ;  and  as  soon  as 
the  advance  column  landed,  it  formed  in  battle  order 
and  moved  forward  to  the  charge.  The  enemy  soon 
gave  way,  but  retired  slowly,  and  at  the  same  time  a 
second  and  stronger  colurnn,  which  had  been  posted 
in  another  ravine,  half  a  mile  in  the  rear,  moved  for- 
ward to  protect  the  retreat  of  the  advance  guard  and 
oppose  the  progress  of  the  Americans. 

Ever>''  step  thus  far  had  been  contested,  and  the 
roar  of  cannon  and  rattle  of  small  arms,  both  on  the 
water  and  on  shore,  had  been  almost  incessant  from 
the  beginning  of  the  engagement.  But  the  blood- 
iest work  was  to  come.  The  combined  columns  of 
British  troops,  numbering  eight  hundred  or  more, 
took  a  strong  position  at  the  top  of  a  steep  bank. 
The  advance,  under  Colonel  Scott,  moved  directly 
against  this  position  ;  but  as  his  men  attempted  to 
climb  the  bank  in  the  face  of  the  enemy,  they  were 
mercilessly  cut  down  by  a  sharp  and  steady  fire. 
Three  times  they  tried  to  reach  the  top,  and  three 
times  were  driven  back.  But  when  Colonel  Moses 
Porter's  light  artillery  and  a  portion  of  Boyd's  bri- 
gade had  come  up  to  his  assistance,  Scott  was  at 
length  enabled  to  carry  the  height. 


no 


WAR   ON   THE  LAKES. 


[1813. 


The  victory  at  this  point  decided  the  day.  The 
flying  enemy  were  pursued  as  far  as  the  village  of 
Newark,  at  which  point  Scott  detached  a  force  to 
cut  off  the  retreat  westward  toward  Burlington, 
while  with  the  remainder  of  his  troops  he  pressed  on 
at  once  to  Fort  George.  This  work  had  been  so 
much  damaged  by  the  bombardment,  and  the  garri- 
son now  left  in  it  was  so  small,  that  it  was  easily 
captured.  As  Scott  approached  it,  one  of  the 
magazines  was  exploded,  and  a  heavy  stick  of  tim- 
ber struck  him  and  knocked  him  from  his  horse. 
Hurrying  forward,  the  soldiers  in  the  advance  dis- 
covered that  trains  had  been  laid  for  the  explosion 
of  two  other  magazines,  and  they  were  just  in  time 
to  put  out  the  matches.  When  the  gates  of  the  fort 
were  broken  open,  Scott  was  the  first  man  to  enter, 
and  with  his  own  hands  he  hauled  down  the  British 
flag.  Close  behind  him  was  Colonel  Moses  Porter, 
who  could  not  help  exclaiming,  "  Confound  your 
long  legs,  Scott,  you  have  got  in  before  me  !" 

A  few  prisoners  were  taken  with  the  fort  ;  but 
Scott,  bent  upon  making  his  victory  complete,  made 
but  a  brief  halt  there,  and  then  hurried  on  his  forces 
in  pursuit  of  the  retreating  enemy.  Twice  orders 
were  sent  to  him  to  turn  back,  and  both  times  he 
refused  to  obey  them.  "  Your  General  does  not 
know,"  said  he  to  a  lieutenant  who  brought  one  of 


I3I3-] 


JVA/^   ON-   THE  LAKES. 


Ill 


these  orders,  "  that  I  have  the  enemy  within  my 
j)o\vcr  ;  in  seventy  minutes  I  shall  capture  his  whole 
force."  Colonel  Burn,  who  ranked  Scott,  but  had 
consented  to  serve  under  him,  had  crossed  the  river 
w  ith  a  troop  of  cavalry,  and  was  v/aiting  for  another 
now  in  midstream,  to  land,  when  with  his  whole 
force  he  was  to  join  the  pursuit.  But  the  fifteen 
minutes  thus  lost  in  waiting  enabled  General  Boyd 
to  ride  up  in  person  and  peremptorily  order  the  pur- 
suit discontinued,  which  of  course  put  an  end  to  it. 
Just  why  the  General  did  this — whether  he  feared 
the  victory  might  be  turned  into  a  disaster,  or  was 
only  apprehensive  that  Colonel  Scott  was  getting 
too  much  glory — has  never  been  explained. 

In  this  action,  which  was  over  by  noon,  the 
Americans  lost  one  hundred  and  fifty-three  men, 
killed  or  wounded.  The  British  loss,  as  nearly  as 
can  be  ascertained,  was  two  hundred  and  seventy- 
one  killed  or  wounded,  and  over  six  hundred  un- 
wounded  prisoners,  five  hundred  of  whom  were 
militia  and  were  paroled. 

The  British  seized  the  opportunity  while  Dear- 
born and  his  forces  were  absent  on  this  expedition 
near  the  western  end  of  Lake  Ontario,  to  make  an 
attack  on  Sackett's  Harbor,  at  the  eastern.  The 
importance  of  that  place  to  the  Americans  consisted 
mainly  in  the  fact  that  they  had  established  there  a 


I  12 


IVAJi  ON   THE  LAKES. 


[1813. 


\\ 


It  M 


large  depot  of  naval  and  military  stores,  and  were 
building  ships. 

The  expedition  sailed  from  Kingston  in  four  war- 
vessels,  a  brig,  two  schooners,  and  two  gunboats,  all 
under  command  of  Sir  James  Lucas  Yeo.  The  land 
forces,  commanded  by  General  Prevost,  numbered 
about  a  thousand,  besides  a  party  of  Indians,  said 
to  have  numbered  three  hundred. 

About  noon  of  the  28th  the  squadron  appeared  off 
Sackett's  Harbor,  and  preparations  for  landing  were 
made.  But  after  the  troops  had  been  in  the  boats 
about  half  an  hour,  an  order  was  issued — for  some 
mysterious  reason,  which  has  never  been  explained — 
commanding  them  all  to  return  to  the  ships,  which 
then  stood  off  for  Kingston.  But  while  this  was 
going  on,  a  fleet  of  nineteen  boats  was  observed 
near  the  south  shore,  bringing  American  reenforce- 
ments  from  Oswego  to  the  Harbor.  The  Indians, 
who  thought  they  were  there  to  fight,  and  could 
not  understand  why  they  should  return  to  the  ships 
without  firing  a  gun,  disobeyed  the  order,  and  pad 
died  off  to  attack  the  Americans  in  the  boats.  The 
squadron  then  wore  round  again,  and  sent  out  boat- 
loads of  troops  to  the  assistance  of  the  Indians,  who 
irove  ashore  and  captured  twelve  of  the  American 
boats,  after  their  occupants  had  escaped  to  the 
woods.     The  other  seven  reached  the  Harbor. 


If 


h\ 


I8i3] 


IV^/i   ON   THE  LAKES. 


"3 


This  little  affair  inspired  the  British  General  with 
new  courage,  and  he  resumed  the  purpose  of  land- 
ing his  whole  force  for  an  attack  on  the  village. 

But  meanwhile  the  Americans  were  busily  pre- 
paring for  defence.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Electus 
Backus,  who  commanded  the  remnant  of  regular 
troops  left  at  the  post,  had  sent  word  the  evening 
before  to  General  Jacob  Brown,  of  the  militia,  who 
had  been  requested  by  General  Dearborn  to  take 
command  in  case  of  an  attack  during  his  absence. 
A  militia  force  numbering  about  five  hundred  was 
hastily  gathered  from  the  surrounding  country,  and 
added  to  the  small  body  of  regulars  and  volunteers. 
The  militia  were  posted  behind  a  ridge  of  sand  which 
had  been  thrown  up  west  of  the  village,  where  their 
fire  would  sweep  that  part  of  the  shore  which  offered 
the  only  good  landing-place  for  the  enemy.  On 
their  right  were  posted  the  volunteers,  with  a  single 
piece  of  artillery.  The  regulars  were  formed  near 
their  camp  about  a  mile  distant. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  29th  the  enemy  land- 
ed. As  their  boats  approached  the  shore,  the  mili- 
tia and  volunteers  rose  and  fired  into  them,  and 
were  fired  upon  in  return  by  two  gunboats  that  had 
been  sent  to  cover  the  landing.  The  enemy's  boats 
then  pulled  around  to  the  other  side  of  Horse  Island, 
which  is  near  the  mouth  of  the  harbor,  landed,  and 


114 


JV^J?   ON   THE  LAKES. 


[1813. 


marched  steadily  across  the  narrow  causeway  that 
connects  it  with  the  mainland.  As  they  approached 
the  ridge,  the  militia  gave  them  another  volley, 
and  then  fled  to  the  woods,  abandoning  the  piece  of 
artillery.  Colonel  Mills  was  killed  while  trying  to 
hold  them  to  their  work.  General  Brown,  who  was 
borne  away  with  the  fugitives,  succeeded  in  rallying 
about  eighty  of  them,  whom  he  posted  behind  a 
huge  fallen  tree,  at  the  edge  of  a  small  open  field. 
From  this  cover  they  gave  the  still  advancing  enemy 
three  or  four  volleys,  and  then  retreated. 

Thus  the  left  of  the  American  line  was  completely 
swept  away.  The  right,  composed  of  volunteers, 
gave  way  more  slowly,  and  retired  in  good  order 
along  the  shore,  skirmishing  all  the  way  with  the 
enemy's  advance,  till  they  reached  and  formed  in  line 
with  the  regulars.  They  were  annoyed  on  the  way 
by  the  enemy's  gunboats,  which  swept  portions  of 
the  road  with  grapeshot  ;  but  on  the  other  hand 
the  enemy  suffered  considerably  from  the  fire  of 
their  rifles  and  from  parties  of  regulars  sent  out  by 
Colonel  Backus  to  join  in  the  skirmishing. 

The  volunteers  took  position  on  the  left  of  the 
second  line  of  defence.  The  right  was  occupied  by 
dismounted  light  dragoons,  and  the  centre  by  regu- 
lar infantry  and  artillery.  The  enemy,  elated,  as  he 
had  cause  to  be,  at  his  first  success,  came  steadily 


i 


I8i3.] 


WAH  ON    THE  LAKES. 


I'S 


on  to  attack  this  line,  and  as  he  approached  was 
subjected  to  an  artillery  fire  from  a  small  work  called 
Fort  Tompkins.  He  struck  the  right  flank  of  the 
Americans,  but  found  it  made  of  different  stuff  from 
militia.  Again  and  again  the  attempt  was  made  to 
force  this  part  of  the  line  ;  but  the  dragoons,  com- 
manded by  Backus  in  person,  stood  firm,  delivered 
their  fire  with  coolness,  and  drove  back  the  assail- 
ants. The  fight  was  kept  up  for  an  hour,  and  at 
length  the  weight  of  numbers  told,  and  the  Ameri- 
cans fell  back. 

A  portion  of  them  next  took  possession  of  the  log 
barracks,  and  here  made  a  third  stand.  The  enemy 
came  on  as  gallantly  as  ever,  intent  upon  driving 
everything  before  him.  Colonel  Gray,  Quarter- 
master-General, led  the  red-coats,  and  as  they  came 
up  to  the  attack,  an  American  drummer-boy  picked 
up  a  musket,  levelled  it  at  the  Colonel,  and  shot  him 
down.  Lieutenant  Fanning,  who  had  been  severely 
wounded  at  York,  and  was  not  expected  to  be  on 
duty,  took  charge  of  a  gun.  As  the  enemy  ap- 
proached, he  carefully  sighted  the  piece,  and  gave 
them  three  rounds  of  grapeshot  in  quick  succession, 
v/hich  broke  the  force  of  their  onset,  and  they  be- 
gan to  fall  back  in  some  disorder.  At  this  moment 
Colonel  Backus  fell  mortally  wounded. 

The  officer  in  charge  of  the  stores  had  been  in- 


ii6 


IV A  A'  ON    THE  LAKES. 


1.813. 


structed  to  set  fire  to  them  in  case  the  enemy  seemed 
likely  to  capture  the  place.  Seeing  the  probability 
of  this,  he  now  applied  the  torch,  not  only  to  the 
storehouses  but  also  to  a  new  vessel  that  was  almost 
rccidy  to  be  launched,  and  to  one  that  had  been  re- 
cently captured  from  the  enemy. 

With  the  Americans  driven  to  their  last  strong- 
hold, and  the  smoke  from  their  burning  stores  roll- 
ing over  their  heads,  the  day  appeared  to  be  irre- 
trievably lost.  But  though  the  enemy  was  strong  in 
good  troops,  gallantly  led,  be  had  a  weak  spot  in 
the  constitutional  timidity  of  the  commander,  Sir 
George  Prevost.  And  General  Brown  at  this  point 
of  time  made  a  fortunate  movement  which  struck 
that  weak  spot  in  a  most  effective  way.  He  had 
succeeded  in  rallying  about  three  hundred  of  the 
militia,  with  whom  he  suddenl)^  emerged  from  the 
woods,  and  made  a  feint  of  marching  for  the  boats 
by  which  the  expedition  had  landed.  Sir  George 
took  the  alarm  at  once,  imagining  he  was  to  be 
surrounded  by  a  superior  force  and  entrapped. 
He  therefore  issued  an  order  for  retreat,  and  his 
victorious  forces  withdrew  to  their  ships  without 
securing  any  result  of  their  victory,  or  even  bearing 
off  their  wounded.  A  reenforcement  of  six  hundred 
men,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Tuttle,  who  had 
marched  forty  miles  in  one  day,  reached  the  vil- 


18I3.J 


WAH   ON   TJIE  LAKES. 


"7 


lage  just  as  the  enemy  were  pushing  off  in  their 
boats. 

The  Americans  succeeded  in  putting  out  the  fires, 
but  not  till  half  a  million  dollars'  worth  of  stores  had 
been  destroyed.  The  new  ship  was  but  little  in- 
jured, as  her  timbers  were  so  green  they  would  not 
burn  readily.  The  prize  vessel  was  on  fire,  and  she 
had  considerable  powder  in  her  hold  ;  but  Lieuten- 
ant Talman,  at  the  risk  of  his  life,  boarded  her,  sup- 
pressed the  flames,  and  brought  her  off  to  a  place  of 
safety  at  a  distance  from  the  burning  buildiiigs. 

Sir  George,  not  content  with  making  a  needless 
fiasco  of  his  expedition,  made  himself  ridiculous  by 
sending  a  flag  of  true  to  demand  the  surrender  of  the 
village  and  the  military  post,  which  of  course  was 
refused.  He  then  sent  another  flag,  asking  that  his 
dead  and  wounded  might  be  properly  cared  for,  and 
on  receiving  assurances  that  they  would,  saiiv<2d  away 
with  the  whole  fleet. 

The  loss  of  the  Americans  in  this  action  was 
about  one  hundred  and  seventy,  killed,  wounded,  or 
missing  ;  that  of  the  British,  about  two  hundred  and 
sixty. 

A  few  days  after  the  loss  of  Fort  George,  General 
Vincent  concentrated  the  British  forces  at  Beaver 
Dams,  and  retreated  westward  to  Burlington  Bay, 
the  head  of  Lake  Ontario,  where  he  intrenched  him- 


Ii8 


ll^A/i   O.V   THE  LAKES. 


[1813. 


self  on  the  heiylits.  General  Dearborn,  after  being 
baffled  for  some  time  by  false  information  which 
Vincent  had  caused  to  be  conveyed  to  him,  at  length 
found  out  where  he  had  gone,  and  sent  the  brigades 
of  Winder  and  Chandler  after  him.  The  Ameri- 
cans, following  the  "ridge  road  "  that  skirts  the 
whole  shore  of  the  lake,  came  up  with  the  enemy's 
pickets  at  Stony  Creek,  a  small  stream  that  crosses 
the  road  at  right  angles,  on  the  5th  of  June.  There 
Avas  considerable  skirmishing,  and  the  enemy's  pick- 
ets were  driven  in. 

General  Chandler,  with  a  wise  caution  thus  far 
seldom  displayed,  placed  a  company  of  artillery  at 
the  mouth  of  the  creek,  three  miles  from  the  road, 
to  cover  a  landing  of  boats  expected  there,  with  the 
rest  of  his  forces  took  a  stronc;^  position  on  the  high 
eastern  bank  of  the  creek,  where  the  road  crosses  it, 
threw  out  pickets  in  all  directions,  gave  Ojders  how 
the  Hne  should  be  formed  in  case  of  an  akttack,  and 
ordered  that  the  artillery  horses  be  kept  harnessed. 

One  regiment  at  first  encamped  in  the  low  mead- 
ows on  the  western  bank,  but  after  nightfall  it  with- 
drew to  the  heights,  leaving  its  camp-fires  burning. 
A  picket  guard  that  had  been  posted  at  a  little 
chapel  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  advance  was  left  there. 

The  ofificer  in  command  of  the  enemy's  rear  guard 
had  sent  word  to  General  Vincent  that  the  Ameri- 


\\> 


i8i3.] 


kVAA'   OAT    rilE   LAKES. 


119 


cans  were  in  straggling  detachments,  and  if  the  first 
were  attacked  at  once  it  could  easily  be  defeated  be- 
fore the  others  came  up  to  its  support.  The  Gen- 
eral therefore,  as  he  had  little  chance  of  further  re- 
treat, planned  a  night  attack.  A  little  before  mid- 
night of  the  5th  he  left  his  camp,  at  the  head  of 
about  a  thousand  men,  and  marched  stealthily  back 
by  the  road  he  had  come,  to  surprise  his  foe.  The 
night  was  absolutely  dark,  and  the  sentinels  at  the 
little  chapel  were  suddenly  seized  and  silently  bay- 
oneted before  they  could  fire  their  muskets  or  make 
any  outcry.  The  assassination  of  pickets  is  one  of 
the  sickening  incidents  of  war  that  seldom  find  men- 
tion in  the  reports  of  the  general  or  the  pages  of  the 
romantic  historian,  but  that  cost  many  a  poor  fellow 
his  life  without  even  the  pitiful  compensation  of 
what  is  called  glory. 

Seeing  the  camp-fires  in  the  meadow,  with  no 
signs  of  life  among  them,  the  British  forces  imagined 
that  the  Ai^l^ericans  were  all  asleep  and  would  fall  an 
easy  prey  to  massacre.  They  advanced  confidently, 
and  as  they  reached  the  deserted  fires  sprang  among 
them  with  a  hideous  yell — in  which  part  of  the  per- 
formance they  were  materially  assisted  by  a  few 
score  Indian  allies — expecting  to  see  their  foes  arise 
from  the  ground,  and  rub  their  eyes  open  just  in 
time  to  catch  the  gleam  of^the  British  bayonets  and 


I20 


WAR   OiV    THE   LAKES. 


[1813. 


savage    tomahawks    before    they   were    buried    in 
American  flesh. 

Instead  of  this,  while  they  stood  dazed  among  the 
waning  camp-fires,  looking  about  in  vain  for  some- 
body to  massacre,  the  line  on  the  heights  blazed  out 
with  musketry  and  artillery,  and  the  shot  tore  its 
way  through  the  ranks  of  the  red-coats.  .  But  the 
English  soldier  has  always  been  good  at  obeying 
orders,  and  as  soon  as  this  volley  revealed  the 
whereabouts  of  the  Americans,  their  enemy  pressed 
on  in  the  face  of  the  fire,  climbed  the  bank,  entered 
the  lines  in  the  darkness,  and  captured  several  guns, 
the  artillerists  not  being  able  to  distinguish  friend 
from  foe. 

Then  began  a  horrible  melee,  in  which  nearly 
every  man  fought  on  his  own  account,  and  many  of 
then',  could  not  tell  whether  they  were  striking  at 
comrades  or  enemies.  Hearing  a  few  shots  fired  in 
the  rear  of  his  camp.  General  Chandler  imagined  he 
was  attacked  from  that  direction  also,  and  faced 
about  a  portion  of  his  line,  which  increased  the 
dreadful  confusion.  After  this  wild  work  in  the 
darkness  and  tumult,  the  British  managed  somehow 
to  retreat,  carrying  off  w'.th  them  two  pieces  of  artil- 
lery, which,  however,  were  afterward  recovered. 
•  When  the  morning  dawned,  it  was  found  that  the 
American  commanders,  Chandler  and  Winder,  were 


1813] 


PFAA'  ON   THE  LAKES. 


121 


both  prisoners  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy  ;  while 
the  British  commander,  Vincent,  had  been  thrown 
from  his  horse,  lost  his  way  in  the  woods,  and  after 
floundering  about  all  night  was  discovered  in  a  most 
pitiful  and  ridiculous  plight.  Chandler  was  taken 
while  trying  to  manceuvre  a  British  regiment,  which 
he  had  stumbled  upon  in  the  darkness  and  mistaken 
for  one  r^  his  own. 

In  this  affair  the  Americans  lost  one  hundred  and 
fifty-four  men,  killed,  wounded,  or  missing ;  the 
British,  two  hundred  and  fourteen.  The  victory,  so 
far  as  there  was  any,  must  be  accorded  to  the  British, 
since  it  broke  the  advance  of  the  Americans  and 
caused  them  to  turn  back.  When  they  had  retreat- 
ed as  far  as  Forty-Mile  Creek,  they  were  attacked 
simultaneously  on  both  flanks  —  on  the  land  side  by 
a  band  of  Indians,  and  on  the  water  side  by  the  fleet 
under  Sir  James  Yeo.  But  they  succeeded  in  re- 
pelling both  enemies,  and  returned  to  Fort  George 
with  the  loss  only  of  a  part  of  their  baggage,  which 
was  conveyed  in  boats. 

After  this,  Yeo  coasted  along  the  shore  and  cap- 
tured stores  in  Charlotte,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Gene- 
see, and  in  Sodus,  on  the  bay  of  that  name.  As  he 
met  with  some  resistance  at  Sodus,  and  had  diffi- 
culty in  finding  the  stores,  which  were  hidden,  he 
burned  the  buildings  there. 


1 


L 


122 


IVAA'  ON   THE  LAKES. 


i^'l    ' 


[1813. 


There  was  a  British  depot  of  supplies  at  Beaver 
Dams,  about  seven  miles  southwest  of  Quecnstown 
aid  the  same  distance  northwest  of  the  Falls. 
General  Dearborn  planned  its  capture,  and  on  the 
236  of  June  sent  against  it,  from  Fort  George,  an 
expedition  of  five  hundred  and  seventy  men,  com- 
manded by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Charles  G.  Boerstler. 
The  enemy  had  strong  works  at  Beaver  Dams,  but 
at  this  time  they  Avere  not  very  well  manned. 

The  Americans,  who  had  about  fifteen  miles  to 
march,  started  in  the  evening,  with  the  intention  of 
surprising  and  capturing  the  post  in  the  morning. 
But  the  enemy  had  been  apprised  of  the  movement, 
and  when  the  Americans  reached  the  present  site  of 
Thorold  they  fell  into  an  ambush,  where  they  were 
suddenly  attacked  by  four  hundred  and  fifty  Indians, 
commanded  by  John  Brant  (son  of  the  celebrated 
Mohawk  chief,  Joseph  Brant)  and  Captain  Kerr. 
Though  surprised,  Boerstler  was  not  confused. 
He  coolly  but  quickly  formed  his  men  in  battle 
order,  and  charged  through  the  woods  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  attack.  To  little  purpose,  however,  as 
the  wily  savages,  following  their  usual  tactics,  fled 
before  the  line  of  bayonets,  and  soon  attacked  the 
Americans  from  another  direction,  firing  from  the 
thickets  and  other  hiding-places.  After  keeping  up 
a  desultory  contest  of  this  sort  for  three  hours,  with 


i8i3.] 


WA/^   aV   r//E  LAKES. 


123 


no  prospect  of  any  termination,  Boerstler  fell  back 
to  a  position  in  an  open  field,  encountering  on  the 
way  a  body  of  Canadian  militia.  Scarcely  had  he 
taken  this  new  position,  to  wait  for  reinforcements 
which  he  had  asked  General  Dearborn  to  send,  when 
a  small  detachment  of  British  regulars  approached 
to  reconnoitre.  They  were  commanded  by  a  Lieu- 
tenant Fitzgibbon,  who  had  been  warned  of  the  ap- 
proach of  the  Americans  by  a  woman  who  had 
walked  nineteen  miles  to  tell  him. 

Seeing  that  his  enemy  was  somewhat  disordered, 
and  not  disposed  to  take  the  offensive,  Fitzgibbon, 
though  he  had  but  forty-seven  men,  conceived  the 
idea  of  capturing  the  whole  force  by  one  of  those 
tricks  which  are  generally  supposed  to  be  peculiarly 
Yankee.  Displaying  his  little  detachment  in  such  a 
way  as  to  make  it  appear  to  be  the  advance  of  a 
much  larger  body  of  troops,  he  sent  a  flag  of  truce  to 
Boerstler  and  boldly  demanded  an  immediate  sur- 
render, saying  that  fifteen  hundred  regulars  and 
seven  hundred  Indians  were  but  a  short  distance  in 
the  rear,  and  would  soon  come  up.  For  the  truth 
of  this  he  gave  his  word,  "  on  the  honor  of  a  British 
soldier."  Boerstler,  supposing  escape  would  be  im- 
possible, surrendered,  on  condition  that  his  men 
should  be  paroled  and  permitted  to  return  to  the 
United  States.     A  Major  De  Haren,  who  had  been 


•il 


124 


^VA/^   OAT    THE  LAKES. 


[1813. 


■k-^ 


sent  for  in  all  haste  by  Fitzgibbon,  now  came  up 
with  two  hundred  additional  troops,  and  received 
the  surrender,  which  included  five  hundred  and 
forty-two  men,  two  guns,  and  a  stand  of  colors. 
Major  Chapin,  who  was  present,  says  :  "  The  arti- 
cles of  capitulation  were  no  sooner  signed  than  they 
were  violated.  The  Indians  immediately  com- 
menced their  depredations,  and  plundered  the 
officers  of  their  side  arms.  The  soldiers,  too,  were 
stripped  of  every  article  of  clothing  to  which  the 
savages  took  a  fancy,  such  as  hats,  coats,  shoes, 
etc."  The  British  commander  also  violated  the 
articles  by  refusing  to  permit  the  militia  to  be 
paroled,  whereupon  many  of  them  rose  upon  the 
guards,  overpowered  them,  and  escaped,  taking 
some  of  the  guards  along  as  prisoners. 

This  ridiculous  affair  excited  the  deepest  indigna- 
tion throughout  the  country  ;  and,  in  obedience  to 
public  sentiment,  the  President  soon  removed  Gen- 
eral Dearborn  from  command. 

It  was  hardly  more  than  a  fortnight  later,  July 
nth,  when  Lieutenant-Colonel  Bisshopp  planned  an 
attack  on  Black  Rock,  a  few  miles  north  of  Buffalo, 
where  the  Americans  had  a  dockyard  and  large 
storehouses.  With  about  three  hundred  men,  be- 
fore daylight  of  July  nth,  he  crossed  the  river  in 
boats,  surprised  and  took  possession  of  the  place, 


I8I3-] 


PVAR   ON   THE   LAKES. 


125 


and  proceeded  to  burn  and  plunder  as  rapidly  as 
possible.  He  set  fire  to  the  block-houses,  the  bar- 
racks, the  navy-yard  buildings,  and  a  schooner  that 
lay  at  the  wharf,  and  carried  off  a  considerable  quan- 
tity of  stores.  But  before  he  could  accomplish  all 
this,  General  Peter  B.  Porter  had  got  together  a 
small  force,  consisting  of  regulars,  volunteers,  mili- 
tia, and  a  few  friendly  Indians,  and  vigorously  at- 
tacked the  invaders.  A  fight  of  twenty  minutes' 
duration  ended  in  the  precipitate  retreat  of  the 
British,  who  left  behind  them  a  captain  and  nine 
men  killed  or  wounded,  and  fifteen  prisoners.  After 
the  boats  had  pushed  off,  the  Americans  renewed 
their  fire,  by  which  Bisshopp,  commander  of  the  ex- 
pedition, was  killed,  and  many  of  his  men  were  either 
killed  or  wounded.  The  loss  of  the  Americans  was 
three  men  killed  and  three  wounded.  That  of  the 
enemy  is  supposed  to  have  been  about  seventy. 
They  had  carried  off  four  guns,  besides  spiking  all 
they  left.  Bisshopp,  who  had  proved  himself  an 
energetic  and  skilful  ofificer,  was  a  serious  loss. 

Commodore  Chauncey,  who  was  a  most  meritori- 
ous naval  commander,  though  he  never  made  a  very 
brilliant  reputation,  was  all  this  summer  trying  'to 
bring  Sir  James  Yeo  to  a  decisive  battle  on  Lake 
Ontario  ;  but  Sir  James  had  a  genius  for  not  fight- 
ing, and  could  only  be  chased  to  shelter  under  the 


I. '6 


IVA/i   ON   THE  LAKES. 


[1813. 


18 


II 


guns  of  the  British  forts.  It  was  said  also  that  his 
instructions  forbade  his  fighting  except  under  the 
most  favorable  circumstances.  Once  there  seemed 
to  be  a  prospect  of  a  square  battle  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Niagara,  in  August  ;  but  Chauncey's  plan 
was  frustrated  by  the  captains  of  two  of  his  schoon- 
ers, who  in  disobedience  of  orders  tried  to  get  to 
windward  of  the  British  line,  and  were  captured. 
On  the  28th  of  September  there  was  a  partial  en- 
gagement between  the  two  squadrons  ;  but  from 
their  unequal  sailing,  it  was  only  possible  to  bring 
three  of  the  American  vessels  into  action.  One  of 
these  was  badly  crippled,  but  another  handled  the 
British  flagship  so  severely  that  she  crowded  on  all 
canvas  and  made  off,  followed  by  the  entire  fleet, 
which  the  Americans  could  not  overtake.  On  the 
5th  of  October  Chauncey  gave  chase  to  a  squadron 
which  proved  to  be  seven  British  gunboats  used  as 
transports.  One  of  them  was  burned,  one  escaped, 
and  the  other  five  were  captured,  together  with 
more  than  two  hundred  and  sixty  men.  Two  of  the 
prizes  were  those  taken  from  Chauncey  near  the 
Niagara. 

These  successes  left  Lake  Ontario  virtually  in  the 
possession  of  the  Americans  ;  and  meanwhile  the 
command  of  Lake  Erie  had  been  gained  by  a  most 
brilliant  and  memorable  battle.     During  the  winter 


of 


th( 
th( 


1 


i8i3] 


tVAH  ON    THE  LAKES. 


127 


of  1812-13  two  large  brigs,  intended  to  carry  twenty 
guns  each,  and  several  gunboats  and  schooners  were 
built  at  Presque  Isle  (now  Erie,  Pa.),  where  there 
was  a  fine  harbor.  For  this  work  a  force  of  carpen- 
ters was  sent  from  New  York.  The  timber  of  which 
they  were  to  construct  the  vessels  was  growing  in 
the  woods,  and  the  trees  had  to  be  felled  and  worked 
up  at  once  ;  there  was  no  time  to  wait  for  the  wood 
to  season.  All  the  ironwork,  canvas,  cordage,  and 
stores  had  to  be  brought  from  New  York  or  Phila- 
delphia, and  as  there  was  neither  railroad  nor  canal, 
and  much  of  the  intervening  country  was  a  wilder- 
ness, the  dif^culties  of  transportation  were  very 
great.  A  bar  at  the  mouth  of  the  harbor,  on  which 
there  was  but  seven  feet  of  water,  prevented  the 
British  cruisers  from  sailing  in  and  destroying  the 
vessels  before  they  were  launched. 

Captain  Oliver  Hazard  Perry,  who,  though  quite 
young,  had  seen  considerable  service  afloat,  was 
ordered  from  the  seaboard  to  take  command  on 
Lake  Erie,  and  arrived  at  Buffalo  in  March.  His 
volunteer  service  in  the  attack  on  Fort  George  has 
been  already  mentioned.  The  fall  of  that  work  was 
followed  by  the  abandonment  of  Fort  Erie,  which 
released  the  vessels  that  had  been  blockaded  by  its 
guns  in  the  upper  part  of  the  Niagara,  and  early  in 
June  they  rendezvoused  at  Presque  Isle. 


128 


H^A/?   OJV   THE   LAKES. 


[1813. 


m 


Perry  now  had  his  entire  force  in  one  harbor,  and 
pushed  on  his  equipment  with  the  greatest  possible 
speed.  One  of  the  new  brigs  was  made  his  flagship, 
and  was  named  the  Lawrence.  The  bar  that  had 
thus  far  protected  the  fleet  was  now  a  hindrance  to 
its  sailing,  for  it  could  be  passed  by  the  larger  ves- 
sels only  in  calm  weather,  and  even  then  they  must 
be  lightened  of  their  guns  and  heavy  stores.  The 
British  commander,  Captain  R.  H.  Barclay,  was 
watching  with  his  entire  fleet  for  Perry  to  come  out. 
If,  as  is  supposed,  he  intended  to  attack  him  while 
crossing  the  bar,  when  he  could  probably  have  won 
a  victory,  he  lost  his  opportunity  by  attending  to 
pleasure  before  duty.  A  gentleman  living  on  the 
northern  shore  of  the  lake  invited  him  to  dinner  one 
Sunday,  and  he  crossed  over  with  his  whole  squad- 
ron. At  the  same  time  the  water  became  smooth, 
and  Perry,  who  had  been  eagerly  watching  for  such 
a  chance,  proceeded  to  take  out  his  fleet  at  once. 

The  Laiurence,  which  was  his  heaviest  vessel,  was 
provided  with  a  large  scow  on  each  side,  and  on  her 
arrival  at  the  bar  these  scows  were  nearly  filled  with 
water,  and  sunk  very  low.  Great  beams  were  then 
passed  through  her  port-holes,  the  ends  projecting 
over  the  scows.  Piles  of  blocks  were  provided  for 
these  ends  to  rest  upon,  and  then  the  holes  in  the 
scows  were  plugged  up,  and  the  water  pumped  out. 


« #  ,i( 


I8i3] 


IV A/?   O.V    THE   LAKES. 


129 


As  the  scows  rose,  they  lifted  the  brig  with  them. 
But  though  her  guns  had  been  tai<en  out  and  left  on 
the  beach,  as  well  as  all  other  heavy  articles  that 
could  be  removed,  she  still  drew  too  much  water  to 
pass  the  bar.  Another  lift  was  made,  which  occu- 
pied the  night,  and  finally  she  floated  across.  The 
other  brig,  the  Niagara,  was  not  quite  so  large,  and 
was  taken  over  with  less  difficulty.  The  lighter 
vessels  had  crossed  the  bar  without  assistance  ;  and 
on  the  approach  of  the  English  squadron  at  eight 
o'clock  the  next  morning,  it  was  received  with  a 
cannonade,  which,  though  it  did  no  harm,  prevented 
Barclay  from  running  in  close  and  seizing  the  prey 
he  had  been  so  long  watching  for.  The  Laivrcnce  s 
guns  were  taken  on  board  as  soon  as  she  was  afloat 
outside,  and  the  broadside  was  trained  to  bear  on 
the  enemy. 

This  was  Monday,  the  5th  of  August,  and  Perry 
was  now  afloat  on  Lake  Erie  with  ten  vessels,  carry- 
ing fifty-five  guns  and — after  he  had  received  several 
reenforcements — about  four  hundred  men.  Captain 
Barclay  had  about  the  same  number  of  men,  in  six 
vessels,  carrying  sixty-five  guns,  his  flagship  being 
the  Dctj-oit.  As  soon  as  the  American  fleet  was 
fairly  over  the  bar,  the  British  sailed  away  up  the 
lake,  and  it  took  Perry  a  month  to  find  them  and 
bring  them  to  action.       He  was  at  Put-in- Bay,  in 


130 


IVAl!   ON    THE  LAKES. 


[1813. 


one  of  the  islands  near  the  western  end  of  the  lake, 
when  at  sunrise  on  the  morning  of  September  lOth 
the  British  fleet  was  sighted  from  the  masthead, 
bearing  down  from  the  northwest,  apparently  bent 
on  having  a  fight. 

Perry  had  given  the  commanders  of  his  several 
vessels  careful  instructions  what  to  do  in  case  of  an 
engagement,  ending  with  the  remark  that  "  they 
could  not  be  out  of  their  proper  places  if  they  laid 
their  enemy  close  alongside."  Within  an  hour  after 
the  enemy  was  sighted,  the  squadron  was  beating 
out  of  the  bay.  The  wind  was  from  the  southwest, 
which  made  it  impossible  for  the  Americans  to  get 
the  weather-gage,  unless  by  circumnavigating  some 
of  the  islands.  As  there  was  apparently  no  time  for 
this,  Perry  determined  to  accept  the  chances  of  bat- 
tle without  that  advantage,  and  accordingly  passed 
to  leeward  of  the  islands.  But  fortune  favored  him 
unexpectedly,  for  the  wind  soon  shifted  to  the 
southeast,  giving  him  the  weather-gage,  which  for 
vessels  armed  as  his  were  was  very  important. 

At  ten  o'clock  the  British  squadron,  having  failed 
in  manoeuvres  for  the  weather-gage,  hove  to,  in  line 
of  battle,  with  their  bows  to  the  west  and  south, 
and  awaited  the  approach  of  their  enemy,  now  about 
nine  miles  distant.  One  of  the  smaller  vessels  was 
at  the  head  of  the  line,  and  the  Detroit^   Batclay's 


I8i3.] 


It^AX  ON   THE  LAKES. 


»3' 


flagship,  next  ;  then  came  another  small  vessel,  and 
then  the  Queen  Charlotte^  a  large  one,  and  then  the 
two  remaining  small  ones.  The  British  vessels  were 
all  freshly  painted,  and  had  new  canvas,  presenting 
a  handsome  appearance  to  the  eye  of  a  sailor. 

As  Perry  approached  and  observed  this  order,  he 
formed  his  own  line  to  correspond  with  it.  He 
placed  two  schooners  in  the  van,  one  carrying  four 
guns  and  the  other  two  ;  then  his  flagship,  the 
Laivrence  ;  then  the  Caledonia,  of  three  guns  ;  then 
the  Niagara,  of  twenty  ;  and  then  the  other  ves- 
sels, which,  however,  as  the  wind  was  light,  did  not 
come  up  very  promptly.  The  orders  were,  that  the 
vessels  should  be  but  half  a  cable's  length  apart. 

As  he  approached  the  enemy.  Perry  displayed  a 
blue  flag  bearing  the  words,  "  Don't  give  up  the 
ship."*  A  few  minutes  before  twelve  o'clock,  a 
bugle  was  sounded  on  the  British  flagship,  which 
was  answered  by  cheers  from  all  the  other  vessels  in 
the  line,  and  followed  by  the  discharge  of  one  of  her 
long  guns,  pointed  at  the  Laurence.  As  the 
American  was  still  a  mile  and  a  half  distant,  the 
shot  fell  short  ;  but  this  space  was  being  gradually 
lessened,  and  the  battle  was  soon  fairly  opened. 
One  of  the  two  schooners  in  the  van  replied  with  a 


*  For  the  origin  of  this  motto,  see  page  199. 


■*,  ;  I 


13a 


fVAA'   ON   THE  LAKES. 


[1813. 


I 


long  gun,  while  the  Lawrence,  being  armed  with 
carronades,  bore  down  upon  the  British  flagship,  to 
engage  her  at  short  range.  This  she  succeeded  in 
doing,  but  not  without  suffering  considerably,  and  the 
three  largest  of  the  British  vessels  concentrat  heir 
fire  on  her.  The  two  foremost  schooners  fought 
their  long  guns  well  ;  but  as  they  had  been  ordered 
to  keep  to  windward  of  the  flagship  (that  is,  a  little 
farther  from  the  enemy)  they  did  not  draw  off  any 
of  the  fire  from  her.  But,  after  two  hours  of  this, 
the  Niagara  drew  ahead  of  the  Caledonia,  thus  as- 
suming the  place  in  the  line  next  to  the  Lawrence, 
and  fought  most  gallantly  ;  still,  this  hardly  lessened 
the  fire  that  was  poured  into  the  flagship  wk'-^h  the 
enemy  seemed  determined  to  sink.  Man  "  her 
spars  were  shot  away,  all  of  her  guns  on  the  star- 
board side,  but  one,  were  rendered  useless,  and  of  a 
hundred  men  on  board,  twenty- two  were  killed  and 
sixty-one  wounded — a  proportion  of  casualties  that 
had  never  been  equalled  in  any  similar  battle. 

The  Laivrcncc  dropped  out  of  the  fight,  and  Perry 
transferred  his  flag  to  the  Niagara,  which  pulled 
ahead  to  a  position  for  engaging  the  Detroit.  When 
the  enemy  saw  the  flag  come  down,  they  supposed 
they  had  gained  a  victory,  stopped  firing,  and 
cheered.  But  the  decisive  struggle  was  yet  to 
come.     Captain  Elliott,  of  the  Niagara,  passed  down 


I8i3.] 


f^AA'   ON   THE  LAKES. 


133 


the  line  in  a  small  boat,  delivering  to  the  command- 
er of  each  vessel  Perry's  order  10  close  up  and  at- 
tack the  enemy  at  half  pistol-shot  with  grape  and 
canister.  He  then  remained  with  and  commanded 
one  of  the  last  vessels  in  the  line,  leaving  the 
Niagara  to  Perry. 

At  this  time  the  wind  freshened,  Perry  showed 
the  signal  for  close  action,  an  answering  cheer 
passed  along  his  line,  and  once  more  the  whole 
squadron  bore  down  upon  the  enemy.  Barclay  at- 
tempted to  manoeuvre  his  vessels  so  as  to  bring  his 
uninjured  broadsides  to  bear  ;  but  his  line  got  into 
confusion,  and  two  of  the  vessels  fouled. 

Perry  took  prompt  advantage  of  this.  The 
Niagara  sailed  right  through  the  confused  British 
line,  having  two  of  t'  ir  vessels  on  one  side,  and 
three  on  the  other — all  ithin  s.iort  range^and  de- 
livered her  deadly  broadsides  in  both  directions  as 
she  passed.  Then  she  luffed  across  their  bows,  and 
raked  them,  and  the  cries  that  came  from  the  Detroit 
told  that  this  merciless  operation  had  had  its  usual 
deadly  effect.  At  the  same  time,  the  other  Ameri- 
can vessels  came  into  close  action,  and  their  gun? 
were  served  with  great  rapidity.  This  destructive 
work  had  lasted  about  twenty  minutes  when  an 
officer  of  the  Queen  Charlotte  displayed  a  white 
handkerchief  on  the  point  of  a  pike,  and  four  of  the 


J 


134 


fVAH   ON   THE  LAKES. 


[i8l3. 


w. 


1*^ 


British  vessels  struck  their  colors.  The  other  two 
attempted  to  escape,  but  were  overtaken  in  about 
an  hour  and  compelled  to  surrender. 

In  this  battle,  the  entire  loss  of  the  Americans 
was  twenty-seven  killed  and  ninety-six  wounded. 
Twelve  of  these  were  quarterdeck  officers.  As 
more  than  a  hundred  out  of  four  hundred  on  board 
had  previously  been  rendered  unfit  for  duty  by 
dysentery  and  cholera,  the  proportion  of  casualties 
to  effective  men  was  more  than  one  in  three.  The 
British  lost  forty-one  killed  and  ninety-four  wound- 
ed, including  twelve  officers.  Captain  Barclay,  who 
had  lost  his  left  arm  in  a  previous  engagement,  in 
this  one  lost  the  use  of  his  right. 

The  masts  of  the  Detroit  and  Queen  Cha7-lotte  were 
so  injured  that  they  snapped  off  two  days  later, 
from  the  rolling  of  the  vessels  in  the  bay,  while  rid- 
ing at  anchor  during  a  gale. 

In  a  despatch  to  General  Harrison,  Perry  an- 
nounced his  victory  in  words  that  have  become 
famous  :  "  We  have  met  the  enemy,  and  they  arc 
ours  :  two  ships,  two  brigs,  one  schooner,  and  one 
sloop."  Congress  voted  him  a  gold  medal  for  his 
achievement.  As  the  question  of  the  fighting  qual- 
ities of  the  black  man  has  since  been  considerably 
discussed,  it  is  worth  noting  that  in  this  bloody  and 
brilliant  battle  a  large  number  of  Perry's  men  were 


I     '4 


i8i3.] 


JV.iA'   OAT    THE   LAKES. 


»35 


Negroes.  Much  of  the  credit  of  the  victory  has  been 
claimed  for  Captain  Jesse  D.  Elliott,  who  undoubt- 
edly deserved  it,  and  his  services  were  generously 
acknowledged  in  Perry's  official  report. 

Many  interesting  incidents  of  this  famous  action 
have  been  related  by  different  participants.  At  the 
opening  of  the  battle,  the  English  musicians  played 
the  well-known  air  of"  Rule,  Britannia  ! — Britannia, 
rule  the  waves!" — on  which  the  result  of  the  fight 
was  a  ludicrous  comment,  proving  that  an  exception 
must  be  made  in  favor  of  the  waves  of  Lake  Erie. 

On  the  British  flagship  there  was  a  pet  hear,  and 
when  the  victors  stepped  on  board  they  found  it 
eagerly  lapping  up  the  blood  from  the  deck. 

The  British  commander  had  repeated  the  silly 
performance  of  nailing  his  colors  to  the  mast,  which 
never  has  any  other  effect  than  to  sacrifice  lives  that 
might  have  been  saved  if  the  signal  of  surrender, 
when  surrender  became  necessary,  could  have  been 
displayed  instantly. 

On  Captain  Barclay's  vessel  were  three  Indians, 
whom  he  placed  in  the  tops,  or  cross-trees,  with 
rifles  in  their  hands,  to  pick  off  the  American  offi- 
cers, that  kind  of  work  being  exactly  suited  to  their 
taste.  But  as  the  first  part  of  the  action  was  fought 
at  long  cannon-range,  beyond  the  reach  of  rifle-shot, 
they   found   themselves  in  danger   from   numerous 


136 


tVA/i   ON    THE   LAKES. 


[1813. 


large  balls  that  went  tearing  through  the  rigging, 
and  at  the  same  time  totally  unable  to  murder  any- 
body on  the  distant  vessels.  Indians  have  always 
stood  m  mortal  terror  of  artillery.  So  they  descend- 
ed to  the  deck  ;  but  here  they  found  it  still  more 
dangerous,  and  finally  the  disgusted  braves  retreated 
down  the  hatchway.  When  the  Americans  came  on 
board,  they  found  them  hidden  in  the  hold.  This 
is  probably  the  only  instance  of  Indians  taking  part, 
or  attempting  to  take  part,  in  modern  naval  war- 
fare. But  they  have  a  legend  of  a  great  Indian 
naval  battle  that  took  place  on  the  waters  of  this 
same  lake  two  hundred  years  before. 

The  Scnecas — so  runs  the  story — who  inhabited 
the  southern  and  eastern  shores  of  Ontario  and  the 
St.  Lawrence,  had  declared  war  against  the  Wyan- 
dots,  who  inhabited  the  northern  and  western 
shores.  A  Wyandot  chief,  gambling  with  a  Seneca, 
had  vvon  his  wife  ;  but  the  Seneca  refused  to  give 
her  up.  Shortly  afterward  she  eloped  with  the 
Wyandot,  and  they  escaped  to  the  country  of  the 
Pottawatomies,  in  Michigan.  This  was  the  cause 
of  the  war,  which  the  Senecas  began  by  crossing  the 
St.  Lawrence,  surprising  a  Wyandot  village,  and 
cruelly  murdering  a  large  number  of  the  inhabitants. 

Finally  the  whole  Wyandot  nation  fled  before  their 
enemies,  passed  alone  the  northern 


»g 


I8i3.] 


fVAA'   ON    THE  LAKES. 


137 


Ontario,  crossed  the  peninsula  north  of  Lake  Erie, 
and  after  great  suffering  and  serious  losses  escaped 
by  crossing  St.  Clair  River  on  cakes  of  floating  ice. 

The  next  summer  the  Senecas  planned  a  naval  ex- 
pedition against  the  Wyandots,  to  be  fitted  out  at 
the  eastern  end  of  Lake  Erie,  near  the  present  site 
of  Buffalo,  pass  up  the  lake  and  through  Detroit 
River,  and  rescue  the  stolen  squaw  and  exterminate 
the  tribe.  But  the  Wyandots  had  early  informa- 
tion of  this  design,  and  several  of  the  tribes  in- 
habiting the  peninsula  of  Michigan  joined  with  them 
in  preparations  to  repel  the  threatened  invasion. 

The  war-canoes  built  by  the  Senecas  were  "  dug- 
outs," hewn  from  the  trunks  of  large  trees.  The 
Wyandots  and  their  allies  prepared  a  fleet  of  birch- 
bark  canoes,  which  were  much  lighter,  swifter,  and 
more  easily  manoeuvred,  and  went  down  the  lake  to 
meet  their  enemy.  They  coasted  along  the  northern 
shore  as  far  as  North  Point,  where  they  waited  to 
make  a  reconnoissance.  The  Wyandot  who  had 
carried  off  the  woman  crossed  the  lake  alone, 
climbed  a  tall  tree  overlooking  the  rendezvous  of  the 
Senecas,  and  counted  their  craft  and  noted  their  prep- 
arations. Then  he  passed  by  a  wide  circuit  around 
their  encampment,  swam  the  Niagara  below  the 
Fails,  and  the  next  day  rejoined  the  fleet  of  the 
allies,  to  whom  he  was  able  to  give  all  necessary  in- 


w 


i3> 


iva/k'  on  the  lakes. 


[1813. 


formation  as  to  the  number  and  equipment  of  their 
enemy. 

They  set  sail — or  rather  pulled  paddles — at  once. 
But  when  in  full  sight  of  the  Senecas,  pretended  to 
be  frightened,  and  retreated.  The  Senecas  gave  a 
war  whoop,  launched  their  heavy  canoes,  and  pad- 
dled after  them  as  fast  as  possible.  When  the  allies 
had  thus  drawn  their  antagonists  far  away  from  the 
shore,  they  suddenly  turned  upon  them,  and  a 
bloody  and  merciless  battle  ensued,  which  lasted  for 
several  hours.  Indian  after  Indian  was  cut  down, 
or  gradually  hacked  to  pieces,  or  knocked  ovei board. 
Some  of  the  canoes  were  run  down  ;  others  were 
grappled  together  while  their  occupants  fought  hand- 
to-hand.  The  lighter  boats  of  the  allies  were  a  great 
advantage,  and  finally  the  Senecas  were  defeated. 
The  dead  and  the  badly  wounded  were  then  thrown 
overboard,  while  the  prisoners  were  reserved  for  tor- 
ture. One  Seneca  was  found  to  have  concealed 
himself  in  the  bottom  of  a  canoe,  feigning  death 
that  he  might  escape  captivity.  The  victors  cut  off 
his  nose  and  ears,  and  knocked  out  his  teeth,  and  in 
that  disgraceful  plight  sent  him  home  to  bear  the 
news  of  the  disaster  to  his  tribe.  On  the  bank  of 
Niagara  River  the  captured  canoes  were  piled  up  for 
a  funeral  pyre,  and  a  hundred  of  the  wounded  Sene- 
cas were  tied  and  laid  upon  it.     Fire  was  set  to  it, 


I8i3.] 


PVAA'   ON   THE  LAKES. 


139 


and  as  one  and  another  escaped  when  his  shackles 
were  burned  off,  he  was  shot  down  with  arrows  or 
brained  with  a  war-club.  When  the  victims  were 
all  reduced  to  ashes,  the  allies  celebrated  their  vic- 
tory with  a  feast  and  dance,  and  then  returned 
home.  Such  was  the  legend  told  by  Walk-in-the- 
Water,  a  Wyandot  chief,  when  he  heard  of  Perry's 
victory,  which  he  thought  was  a  small  affair  in  com- 
parison with  the  exploit  of  his  ancestors. 

By  the  capture  of  the  British  fleet,  the  lakes  were 
cleared  of  the  enemy,  and  but  one  more  movement 
was  necessary  in  order  to  restore  to  the  United 
States  all  that  had  been  lost  by  Hull's  surrender. 
How  successfully  that  movement  was  executed  will 
be  shown  in  the  next  chapter. 


I 
I 


CHAPTER   VIII. 


BATTLE   OF  THE  THAMES. 

Harrison's  Advance — Proctor's  Retreat — Nature  of  the  Ground — Dis- 
position of  tlie  Indians — The  Battle — Death  of  Tecumseh — Flight 
of  Proctor — Results  of  the  Campaign. 

The  opportunity  which  General  Harrison  had 
been  waiting  for  had  now  arrived.  He  had  been 
joined  by  Governor  Shelby,  of  Kentucky,  who 
brought  three  thousand  five  hundred  mounted  men, 
and  also  by  two  hundred  Indians.  His  prepara- 
tions for  an  invasion  of  Canada  were  complete  ; 
and  Perry's  victory  not  only  gave  him  the  necessary 
means  of  transportation,  but  removed  a  hostile  fleet 
that  might  have  prevented  his  landing  an  army  on 
Canadian  soil.  His  troops  rendezvoused  on  the 
peninsula  near  Sandusky  ;  the  total  force,  including 
a  few  regulars,  numbering  about  five  thousand  men. 

Colonel  Richard  M.  Johnson,  with  his  regiment  of 
cavalry,  was  sent  to  Detroit  by  land,  there  to  cross 
the  river.  All  the  other  troops,  with  their  equip- 
ments, were  taken  on  board  Perry's  vessels  and  car- 
ried up  Detroit  River,  and  landed,  on  the  27th  of 
September,  at  a  point  three  miles  below  Amherst- 
burg.     They  marched  at  once  on  Maiden,  and  took 


K     ^ 


i8i3-] 


BATTLE   OF   THE    THAMES. 


J41 


possession  of  that  post  without  opposition.  The 
British  General  Proctor  had  abandoned  it,  but  not 
till  he  had  destroyed  the  barracks,  the  stores,  and  as 
much  of  the  fortifications  as  was  possible.  Harrison 
expected  a  fight,  and  had  his  forces  formed  in  battle 
order  as  they  advanced  ;  but  Proctor's  purpose  was 
simply  to  get  out  of  the  way  of  his  enemy,  and 
escape  if  possible  to  Niagara.  He  had  about  six 
hundred  white  soldiers  who  were  fit  for  duty,  and  a 
force  of  Indians  variously  estimated  at  from  eight 
hundred  to  fifteen  hundred. 

Harrison  left  detachments  at  Detroit,  Amherst- 
burg,  and  Sandwich,  and  with  the  remainder  of  his 
force — about  three  thousand  five  hundied  men — set 
out,  on  the  2d  of  October,  in  pursuit  of  Proctor. 
The  enemy  had  retreated  along  the  southern  shore 
of  Lake  St.  Clair,  and  thence  up  the  river  Thames, 
which  flows  into  that  lake.  Proctor's  baggage  and 
artillery  were  carried  by  water,  in  small  vessels  ;  and 
Harrison  in  his  pursuit  was  materially  aided  by  Cap- 
tain Perry,  whose  boats  carried  the  baggage  and 
supplies  the  whole  length  of  the  lake  and  fifteen 
miles  up  the  river.  At  that  point  Perry  left  the 
water,  and  served  on  Harrison's  staff. 

Four  considerable  streams  crossed  the  line  of  re- 
treat, and  Proctor  might  have  seriously  delayed  the 
pursuit,  and  perhaps  entirely  stopped  it,  by  destroy- 


w' 


142 


BATTLE   OF   THE    THAMES. 


[1813, 


ing  the  bridge  over  any  one  of  them.  He  seems  not 
to  have  thought  of  this  at  the  first  stream,  where 
the  Americans  found  the  bridge  intact.  At  the 
second,  a  Heutenant  and  eleven  men  had  been  left 
with  orders  to  destroy  the  bridge  ;  but  before  they 
had  accomplished  their  task,  Harrison's  advance 
guard  came  up  and  captured  them.  The  third 
bridge,  partially  destroyed,  was  defended  by  a  con- 
siderable body  of  Indians  ;  but  a  few. shots  from  two 
six-pounders  dispersed  them,  and  the  structure  was 
soon  repaired.  The  fourth  bridge  was  likewise 
partly  destroyed,  and  guarded  by  Indians,  who  were 
not  so  easily  driven  away.  The  mounted  Kentuck- 
ians  pushed  forward,  and  had  a  brisk  skirmish  with 
the  savages,  in  which  half  a  dozen  of  the  whites  were 
killed  or  wounded,  and  thirteen  of  the  Indians  were 
killed.  The  enemy  then  set  fire  to  a  large  house 
near  the  bridge,  a  distillery,  and  three  vessels  that 
were  loaded  with  military  stores,  and  continued  his 
retreat.  As  soon  as  the  bridge  could  be  repaired, 
Harrison's  troops  crossed  it,  extinguished  the  fire  in 
the  house,  and  found  in  it  two  thousand  stand  of 
arms.  Early  on  the  5th  the  pursuit  was  renewed. 
The  route  was  still  along  the  Thames,  and  in  the 
course  of  the  day  the  Americans  captured  two  gun- 
boats and  several  batteaux,  all  laden  with  provisions 
and  ammunition. 


i8l3] 


BATTLE   OF   THE    THAMES. 


143 


By  this  time,  Proctor's  Indians  were  tired  of  re- 
treating, and  were  determined  either  to  have  a  fight 
of  some  sort  or  leave  him.  About  sixty  of  them 
actually  deserted,  and  offered  their  services  to  Har- 
rison, who  declined  them — not  because  he  disbe- 
lieved in  the  employment  of  Indians,  for  he  had 
some  in  his  own  force,  but  probably  because  he 
thought  it  unwise  to  employ  troops  of  any  sort  who 
recognized  no  principle  and  were  ready  to  go  from 
one  side  to  the  other  as  the  fortunes  of  war  might 
fluctuate. 

Both  armies  were  now  on  the  north  side  of  the 
Thames,  and  Harrison's  scouts  brought  news  that 
the  enemy  had  formed  in  line  of  battle  at  a  point 
about  two  and  a  half  miles  from  Moravian  Town, 
four  miles  in  advance  of  where  Harrison  then  was. 
At  the  place  chosen  there  was  a  marsh,  the  edge  of 
which  was  about  five  hundred  yards  distant  from, 
the  river  and  parallel  with  it  for  two  miles.  Mid- 
way between  was  a  little  marsh.  The  road  ran  be- 
tween the  little  marsh  and  the  river.  The  ground 
was  largely  covered  with  an  open  growth  of  forest 
trees,  but  there  was  no  underbrush. 

Proctor  placed  his  best  English  troops,  with  hig 
artillery,  in  a  line  stretching  from  the  river  to  the 
little  marsh,  his  cannon  commanding  the  road.  Be- 
hind this  line  were  his  reserves.     The  Indians,  com- 


i  A 


%t 


wr 


144 


BATTLE   OF   THE    THAMES. 


[1813. 


lit 


manded  by  Tecumseh,  who  was  a  brigadier-general 
in  the  British  scivicc,  formed  a  line  between  the  two 
marslies,  and  a  large  number  of  them  were  thrown 
forward  in  the  edge  of  the  great  marsh,  that  they 
might  fall  upon  the  left  flank  of  the  Americans. 

Harrison  placed  his  mounted  troops  in  front,  and 
behind  them  two  thirds  of  his  infantry,  while  the  re- 
mainder was  thrown  back  at  an  angle  on  the  left,  to 
be  able  to  face  the  Indians  in  the  marsh.  The 
mounted  men  were  formed  in  two  columns,  all  under 
command  of  Colonel  Richard  M.  Johnson,  who  rode 
with  '"he  left  column.  The  right  column  was  com- 
manded immediately  by  his  brother,  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  James  Johnson. 

At  the  sound  of  the  bugle,  the  columns  rode  for- 
ward, slowly  and  steadily  at  first.  As  the  right 
column  came  within  musket-shot  of  the  enemy,  it 
received  a  volley  or  two,  and  here  and  there  a 
trooper  tumbled  from  his  horse.  The  pace  was  im- 
mediately quickened,  and  in  two  minutes  a  solid 
column  of  a  thousand  dragoons  went  crashing 
through  the  British  line,  cutting  down  every  oppos- 
ing soldier  within  reach  of  its  sabres.  The  column 
immediately  re-formed  in  rear  of  the  enemy's  posi- 
tion, and  repeated  the  charge,  at  the  same  time  fir- 
ing into  the  broken  ranks,  when  the  entire  left  wing 
was  thrown  into  confusion  before  the  men  could  fix 


1813] 


BATTLE   OF   THE    THAMES. 


«45 


their  bayonets,  and  four  hundred  and  seventy  of 
them,  with  their  officers,  surrendered. 

On  the  other  wing,  as  Colonel  Richard  M.  John- 
son's column  rode  up  at  a  charge,  the  Indians  re- 
served their  fire  till  they  were  within  a  few  paces, 
and  then  gave  them  a  destructive  volley.  Almost 
the  whole  of  the  advance  guard  fell  before  it,  and 
Colonel  Johnson  was  wounded.  Finding  that  the 
ground  here,  between  the  two  marshes,  was  unsuit- 
able for  horses.  Colonel  Johnson  at  once  ordered 
his  men  to  dismount,  and  for  eight  or  ten  minutes 
there  was  hard  fighting,  at  close  range,  with  the  rifle. 
After  charges  and  counter-charges,  the  Indians  be- 
gan to  give  way.  At  this  moment  Governor  Shelby 
brought  up  the  reserves,  and  about  the  same  time 
Tecumseh  fell,  and  the  savages  then  broke  and  fled. 

The  question,  who  killed  Tecumseh,  though  not 
of  much  importance,  has  been  warmly  discussed. 
Thomson,  one  of  the  earliest  authorities  for  the  his- 
tory of  this  war,  says  :  "  Colonel  R.  M.  Johnson 
had  been  five  times  wounded,  and  in  that  state,  cov- 
ered with  blood,  and  exhausted  by  pain  and  fatigue, 
he  personally  encountered  Tecumseh.  The  Colonel 
was  mounted  on  a  white  charger,  at  which,  being  a 
conspicuous  object,  the  Indians  had  continually 
levelled  their  fire.  A  shower  of  bullets  had  fallen 
round  him  ;  his  holsters,  his  clothes,  and  most  of  his 


146 


BATTLE   OF   THE    THAMES. 


I1813. 


'il 


accoutrements  were  pierced  in  several  places  ;  and 
at  the  instant  when  he  discovered  Tecumseh,  his 
horse  received  a  second  wound.  Tecumseh,  having 
discharged  his  rifle,  sprang  forward  with  his  toma- 
hawk, and  had  it  already  raised  to  throw,  when 
Colonel  Johnson's  horse  staggered  back,  and  imme- 
diately the  Colonel  drew  forth  a  pistol,  shot  the  Ind- 
ian through  the  head,  and  both  fell  to  the  ground 
together." 

When  the  savages  in  front  were  defeated,  those 
that  had  been  posted  in  the  edge  of  the  great  marsh 
vanished  through  the  woods. 

General  Proctor,  when  he  saw  his  lines  broken, 
abandoned  the  field  and  drove  o'T  with  all  possible 
speed  in  his  carriage,  accompanied  by  a  mounted 
body  guard.  He  was  conscious  that  he  deserved  no 
quarter  for  his  cold-blooded  massacres,  and  feared 
that  if  he  fell  into  the  hands  of  American  soldiers 
he  might  get  his  deserts.  As  a  matter  of  fact. 
General  Harrison  had  instructed  his  men  before  the 
battle  that  if  Proctor  was  captured  he  should  be 
brought  in  unharmed.  A  detachment  sent  in  pui 
suit  of  him  pressed  him  so  closely  that  h"  ab  '' 

his  carriage,   leaving  his  sword  and      tiMP 
in  it,  and  took  to  the  woods  ;  whei  ac  . 

mounted  and  familiar  with  the  couii  ly,  the  could 
not    overtake    him.       But  though  he  escaped  the 


I8i3] 


BAT'J'I.E    OF    J  HE    J' 11  AMES, 


M7 


i\mcricans,  by  his  own  government  he  was  court- 
niartialled,  reprimanded,  and  suspended  for  six 
HKjnths.  If  he  had  previously  been  punished  for 
viohiting  the  kiws  of  war,  and  an  abler  and  better 
man  put  into  his  place,  this  disaster  might  not  have 
befallen  the  British  arms.  It  was  not  when  they 
massacred  defenceless  people,  but  only  when  they 
lost  battles,  that  the  English  Government  was  dis- 
satisfied with  unsoldier-like  conduct  in  its  oflficers. 

In  this  action,  the  Americans  lost  about  fifty  men 
killed  or  wounded.  Among  the  killed  was  Colonel 
Whitley,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  who  had  vol- 
unteered as  a  private.  The  British  lost  about  a 
hundred  and  eighty  killed  or  wounded,  and  nearly 
all  the  remainder  were  made  prisoners.  It  was  sup- 
posed that  about  a  hundred  and  twenty  Indians 
were  killed  ;  at  least  thirty-three  were  left  dead  on 
the  field,  and  an  unknown  number  carried  away. 
Among  the  spoils  of  the  victory  were  several  brass 
cannon  which  had  been  captured  with  Burgoyne  at 
Saratoga,  surrendered  by  Hull  at  Detroit,  and  now 
came  a  second  time  into  the  hands  of  the  Americans. 

Harrison  destroyed  Moravian  Town  the  day  after 
.  the  battle,  and  then  marched  back  to  Detroit.     Proc- 
tor had  the  good  taste  to  send  a   flag   of  truce,  re- 
questing that   the   prisoners   be  humanely  treated. 
As  General  Harrison  had  already  given  up  his  own 


% 


148 


BA  TTLE    OF    THE    THAMES. 


[1813. 


tent  to  some  of  the  wounded  British  officers,  it  is 
probable  that  they  were. 

By  this  brief  and  brilliant  campaign,  Harrison  de- 
stroyed the  British  power  in  that  part  of  Canada,  re- 
stored the  territory  of  Michigan  to  the  United 
States,  killed  the  great  Indian  leader  who  had  been 
the  most  dangerous  enemy  of  the  Americans  in  the 
West,  separated  the  tribes  that  had  been  assisting 
the  English,  and  compelled  some  of  them  to  make 
peace  on  his  own  terms.  At  Detroit  he  discharged 
Shelby's  volunteers,  gave  the  place  a  garrison  of  a 
thousand  men,  restored  civil  law,  and  made  General 
Cass  provisional  governor  of  the  territory.  Three 
weeks  later,  he  and  the  remainder  of  his  troops  were 
taken  on  board  Perry's  fleet  and  carried  to  Buffalo. 

On  the  same  day  that  the  battle  of  the  Thames 
was  fought,  Commodore  Chauncey,  in  pursuit  of 
Yeo's  fleet  on  Lake  Ontario,  captured  a  cutter  and 
four  transports,  on  board  of  which  were  two  hundred 
and  sixty-four  British  officers  and  soldiers. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

WILKINSON'S   EXPEDITION, 

Armstrong's  Plans — Position  of  the  Troops — Descent  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence— Battle  of  Chrysler's  Field — Hampton's  Defeat— Cost  of 
the  Campaign — Effects  on  the  Niagara  Frontier — Capture  of  Fort 
Niagara — Destruction  of  Buffalo  and  other  Villages. 

The  final  military  operations  of  this  year  on  the 
northern  border  were  the  most  disappointing,  and 
on  the  whole  the  most  disgraceful,  of  any  that  had 
been  undertaken.  General  John  Armstrong  had  be- 
come Secretary  of  War  early  in  the  year,  and  in 
February  had  submitted  a  plan,  which  the  President 
at  once  approved,  for  the  conquest  of  Canada  by 
means  of  an  expedition  against  Montreal. 

Armstrong  had  seen  service  in  the  Revolution, 
and  was  the  author  of  the  anonymous  "  Newburg 
Addresses,"  which  had  given  Washington  so  much 
trouble.  Although  he  planned  the  expedition  in 
February,  he  allowed  the  entire  summer  to  go  by 
before  attempting  its  execution,  and  it  set  out  in 
October,  the  worst  time  of  year  for  such  an  under- 
taking. The  first  requisite  for  any  military  move- 
ment is,  that  it  shall 'be  under  the  supreme  command 
of  some  one  man.     But  the  left  wing  of  the  army 


I'i 


T 


150 


WILKINSON'S  EXPEDITION. 


[1813. 


which  was  to  make  this  one  was  commanded  by 
General  James  Wilkinson,  at  Sackett's  Harbor, 
while  the  right  wing  was  under  General  Wade 
Hampton,  at  Plattsburg,  and  between  these  two 
officers  there  was  not  only  no  cordial  friendship,  but 
a  positive  jealousy  that  rendered  it  almost  impossi- 
ble for  them  to  act  in  concert.  Although  Wilkinson 
was  the  ranking  officer,  Hampton  maintained  that  his 
own  must  be  considered  as  a  separate  and  indepen- 
dent command,  and  himself  not  subordinate  to  any- 
body but  the  Secretary  of  War.  He  thus  put  in 
practice  on  a  small  scale  a  vicious  principle  whose 
advocacy  on  a  vastly  larger  scale  has  since  given 
some  of  his  descendants  an  unenviable  prominence. 
So  old  a  soldier  as  Armstrong  should  have  known 
that  the  first  thing  necessary  to  the  success  of  his 
scheme  was  the  removal  of  one  or  the  other  of  these 
officers,  and  conferring  upon  some  one  general  the 
absolute  command  of  all  forces  that  were  to  take 
part  in  it.  As  he  had  stationed  himself  and  his 
War  Department  at  Sackett's  Harbor,  he  perhaps 
imagined  that  he  could  direct  the  expedition  from 
there,  and,  holding  both  generals  subordinate  to 
himself,  cause  the  two  wings  to  act  in  concert.  If 
so,  he  was  wofully  mistaken.  A  man  sixty  years  of 
age,  who  owned  three  thousand  slaves  and  was  ac- 
customed '"^  no  check  upon  his  least  caprice,  who 


i8i3] 


WILKINSON'S  EXPEDITION. 


151 


now  had  four  thousand  troops  under  his  command 
— a  large  number  in  that  war — and  was  distant  a 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  his  superior,  with  a 
wilderness  between,  could  not  be  expected  to  hold 
himself  subordinate  to  anybody. 

General  Wilkinson  had  removed  most  of  the 
troops  from  Fort  George  on  the  Niagara,  taking 
them  down  the  lake,  and  he  now  had  a  total  force 
of  about  eight  thousand  men.  The  right  wing,  un- 
der Hampton,  n;  mbered  half  as  many  more.  The 
final  plan  was,  to  move  down  the  St.  Lawrence  with 
Wilkinson's  force,  while  Hampton's  moved  north- 
ward to  unite  with  it  at  or  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Chateaugua  ;  the  combined  force  then  to  strike  for 
Montreal.  Wilkinson  rendezvoused  his  troops  at 
Grenadier  Island,  eighteen  miles  below  Sackett's 
Harbor,  near  the  point  where  the  waters  of  the  lake 
find  their  outlet  in  the  St.  Lawrence.  The  British 
were  apprised  of  the  movement,  and  drew  a  large 
force  from  the  Niagara  frontier  to  Kingston,  sup- 
posing that  was  to  be  the  point  of  attack  ;  and  in- 
deed this  had  been  the  first  intention  of  the  Ameri- 
cans. To  strengthen  this  impression  on  the  part  of 
the  enemy,  and  induce  him  to  hold  his  forces  at 
Kingston  as  long  as  possible,  Wilkinson  appointed  a 
second  rendezvous  at  the  mouth  of  French  Creek, 
eighteen  miles  farther  down.     The  command  of  the 


lit 


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li! 


152 


WILKINSON'S  EXPEDITION. 


[1813. 


advance  was  given  to  General  Jacob  Brown,  who 
had  successfully  defended  Sackett's  Haibor  in  May. 
On  the  1st  and  2d  of  November  the  British  squadron 
attacked  the  advance,  but  without  effecting  any- 
thing. 

On  the  5th  Wilkinson's  entire  force  moved  down 
the  St.  Lawrence.  They  occupied  more  than  three 
nundred  boats,  which  made  a  procession  five  miles 
long.  At  Prescott  the  river  was  commanded  by 
British  batteries,  and  to  avoid  them  Wilkinson  de- 
barked his  troops  and  stores  a  short  distance  above 
that  place,  and  sent  them  by  land  to  Red  Mill,  some 
distance  below.  The  boats  were  run  by  the  batteries 
at  night,  and  escaped  injury,  though  under  a  heavy 
fire  for  a  considerable  time. 

But  it  was  found  that  the  enemy  had  planted 
batteries  at  several  other  places,  to  obstruct  and  if 
possible  destroy  the  flotilla.  Colonel  Alexander 
Macomb  was  ordered  to  cross  the  river  with  twelve 
hundred  of  the  best  troops  in  the  army,  and,  march- 
ing down  the  north  bank,  abreast  of  the  flotilla, 
drive  away  or  capture  the  gunners.  In  this  task  he 
was  assisted  by  Forsyth's  riflemen,  who  crossed  a 
little  later.  The  cavalry  and  Brown's  brigade  passed 
over  next  c   v. 

They  found  plenty  of  fighting  to  do,  though  of  a 
desultory   kind.       There   was   a   battery   at    nearly 


i8i3.] 


WILKINSON'S  .  XP EDITION. 


153 


every  narrow  place  in  the  river,  and  small  parties 
of  the  enemy  were  continually  hanging  on  the  rear 
of  the  Americans,  firing  whenever  they  found  a 
chance.  Eight  miles  below  Hamilton,  Macomb  had 
a  fight  with  a  party  strongly  posted  in  a  block-house, 
and  succeeded  in  driving  them  out. 

Meanwhile  General  De  Rottcnburg,  who  had 
come  down  to  Kingston  from  Qucenstown,  sent  a 
force  of  fifteen  hundred  men,  with  two  schooners 
and  seven  gunboats,  to  follow  the  expedition  and  at- 
tack its  rear  guard  at  every  opportunity.  It  was 
Commodore  Chauncey's  duty  to  prevent  any  British 
force  from  leaving  the  harbor  of  Kingston  at  this 
time  ;  but  unaccountably  he  failed  to  do  it.  On  the 
Qth  the  American  riflemen  had  a  brisk  skirmish  with 
a  body  of  Canadian  militia  and  Indians,  and  finally 
drove  them  off. 

By  the  loth  the  Long  Rapid  was  reached,  and 
Wilkinson  put  most  of  his  men  ashore,  that  the 
boats  might  shoot  the  rapid  with  greater  safety. 
That  evening  the  British  gun-boats  came  up  and 
opened  a  cannonade  upon  the  barges,  which  for  a 
time  threatened  to  destroy  them.  But  the  Amc-i- 
cans  took  two  eightecn-pounders  ashore,  and  im- 
provised a  battery,  with  which  they  soon  drove  off 
the  gun-boats. 

By  this  time  the  enemy's  forces  were  pretty  well 


M- 


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f  11 


11 


illi 


1 54 


WILKINSON'S  EXPEDITION. 


L1813. 


united  in  the  rear  of  the  expedition,  and  the  gun- 
boats had  been  brought  to  act  in  concert.  It  was 
evident  that  the  Americans  could  not  safely  proceed 
farther  till  a  battle  had  been  fought. 

The  troops  were  encamped  on  the  farm  of  John 
Chrysler,  a  captain  in  the  British  service,  a  short 
distance  below  Williamsburg.  On  the  morning  of 
the  nth  it  was  found  that  the  enemy  had  t.iken  a 
position  close  in  the  rear,  in  battle  order,  his  left 
resting  on  a  swamp,  and  his  right  on  the  river,  where 
his  gun-boats  were  moored.  His  line  was  well 
placed,  and  he  had  three  pieces  of  artillery  in  posi- 
tion. As  General  Wilkinson  was  too  ill  to  take  the 
field,  or  even  rise  from  his  bed,  the  command  of  the 
American  forces  devolved  upon  General  John  Parker 
Boyd.  Boyd,  now  about  fifty  years  of  age,  had  en- 
tered the  United  States  service  as  early  as  1786, 
but  later  had  been  a  soldier  of  fortune  in  India,  rais- 
ing and  equipping  there,  at  his  own  expense,  a  force 
of  fifteen  hundred  men,  and  selling  their  services  to 
the  highest  bidder.  Still  later  he  returned  to  the 
United  States,  and  was  with  Harrison  at  the  battle 
of  Tippecanoe. 

Orders  were  given  to  drive  back  the  enemy,  and 
General  Robert  Swartwout's  brigade  dashed  into  the 
woods  and  routed  the  British  advance,  which  fell 
back  upon  the  main  body.     The  brigade  of  General 


i8i3] 


WILKINSON'S  EXPEDITION. 


155 


Leonard  Covington  suppi.rted  Swartwout's,  attack- 
ing the  British  right  while  Swartvvout  attacked  the 
left.  It  was  a  cold,  raw  day,  and  part  of  the  time  there 
was  snow  and  sleet  in  the  air.  There  were  charges 
and  counter-charges,  the  contending  columns  alter- 
nately advancing  and  retiring  across  ploughed  fields, 
where  the  men  were  often  up  to  their  knees  in  mud. 
All  the  romance  of  war  was  lacking,  while  all  its  dis- 
agreeable elements  were  present  in  full  force.  There 
were  wounds  enough,  and  death  enough,  and  misery 
enough,  and,  as  it  proved,  no  decisive  or  profitable 
victory  for  either  side.  The  Americans  had  the 
greater  number  of  men,  but  this  advantage  was  fully 
counterbalanced  by  the  fact  that  they  were  the 
attacking  party,  and  there  were  several  deep  ravines 
which  they  could  not  cross  with  their  artillery  to 
bring  it  into  use,  while  the  British  used  their  own 
guns  throughout  the  action. 

The  attack  was  spirited  and  determined,  and 
seemed  likely  to  succeed  ;  but  after  a  while  the  Am- 
erican right  wing  found  its  ammunition  exhausted, 
and  about  the  same  time  the  left  was  discouran-ed 
and  thrown  into  some  confusion  by  the  fall  of  Gen- 
eral Covington,  mortally  wounded.  The  enemy  now 
massed  troops  on  his  right  wing,  and  pressed  for- 
ward heavily,  so  that  he  captured  one  of  the  Ameri- 
can   guns  ;  a   charge   of    cavalry   under  Adjutant- 


VM 


■h^ 


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'56 


WILKINSON'S  EXPEDITION. 


[1813. 


General  Walbach,  and  the  coolness  and  bravery  of 
Captain  Armstrong  Irvine,  being  all  that  prevented 
him  from  seizing  the  others. 

For  two  hours  longer  the  contest  swayed  to  and 
fro  across  the  miry  fields  for  the  distance  of  a  mile, 
till  the  Americans  brought  up  a  reserve  of  six  hun- 
dred men  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Upham,  by 
which  order  was  restored  and  the  line  firmly  estab- 
lished, to  await  the  next  onset  of  the  enemy.  But 
no  further  assault  was  made,  and  in  the  night  the 
Americans  retired  unmolested  to  their  boats. 

This  action  is  sometimes  called  the  battle  of  Wil- 
liamsburg, sometimes  the  battle  of  Chrysler's  Field. 
Both  sides  claimed  the  victory,  and  there  has  been 
much  dispute  both  as  to  the  number  of  men  engaged 
and  as  to  the  losses.  The  British  probably  had  a 
thousand  men,  including  Indians  ;  the  Americans 
seventeen  hundred.  General  Wilkinson  reported  a 
loss  of  one  hundred  and  two  killed,  and  two  hundred 
and  thirty-seven  wounded — one  man  in  five.  The 
British  loss  was  reported  at  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
eight  killed,  wounded,  or  missing — nearly  one  in 
five.  Among  the  American  officers  who  distin- 
guished themselves  on  this  field  was  Lieutenant 
William  J.  Worth,  who  afterward  rose  to  eminence 
as  a  major-general. 

Disregarding  the  military  maxim  which  forbids  an 


r 


1S13.I 


WILA'/NSOA"  S  EXPEDITION. 


157 


invading  army  to  leave  an  enemy  in  its  rear,  Wilkin- 
son next  day  passed  down  the  Long  Rapids  with 
his  whole  force,  and  near  Cornwall  was  joined  by 
General  Brown,  who  had  been  sent  forward  to  attack 
the  post  at  the  foot  of  the  rapids.  This  had  been 
done  by  a  fight  at  Hoophole  Creek,  where  about 
eight  hundred  of  Brown's  men,  under  the  imme- 
diate command  of  Colonel  Scott,  had  defeated  an 
equal  number  of  the  enemy  and  taken  many  prison- 
ers. 

But  here  a  courier  arrived  at  Wilkinson's  head- 
quarters, bringing  a  letter  from  General  Hampton, 
in  which  he  announced  that  he  would  not  join  the 
expedition  as  ordered,  or  attempt  to  invade  Canada 
any  farther. 

The  truth  was,  Hampton  had  moved  down  the 
Chateaugua  with  about  four  thousand  men,  intend- 
ing to  join  Wilkinson.  He  was  opposed  by  a  force 
of  about  one  thousand,  including  Indians,  com- 
manded by  Lieutenant-Colonel  De  Salaberry.  The 
active  opposition  began  at  a  point  where  the  road 
passed  through  a  forest.  Here  the  enemy  had  felled 
trees  across  the  line  of  march,  constructed  abattis, 
and  posted  light  troops  and  Indians  in  the  woods. 
But  Hampton  sent  a  regiment  to  turn  the  enemy's 
flank  and  occupy  the  open  country  in  the  rear,  while 
strong  working  parties  opened  a  new  road  by  a  de- 


1 


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i 


If 


158 


WILKINSON'S  EXPEDITION. 


[1813. 


tour,  enabling  his  whole  force  to  follow,  and  thus  the 
first  obstruction  was  skilfully  passed. 

But  eight  or  ten  miles  in  advance  a  more  formid- 
able obstacle  was  encountered.  Here  was  another 
forest,  in  which  the  enemy  had  constructed  not  only 
abattis  but  timber  breastworks,  and  planted  artillery. 
The  guides  assured  Hampton  that  the  river,  along 
whose  bank  his  route  lay,  was  fordable  opposite  the 
enemy's  flank.  He  thereupon  formed  an  elaborate 
plan  for  sending  a  force  to  ford  the  stream  above, 
march  to  a  point  below  the  enemy,  ford  again,  and 
fall  on  his  flank  and  rear  ;  while  the  main  body  was 
to  attack  in  front  when  the  firing  was  heard.  The 
detachment  was  commanded  by  Colonel  Purdy,  who 
afterward  said  it  "  was  intrusted  to  the  guidance  of 
men,  each  of  whom  repeatedly  assured  him  [Hamp- 
ton] that  they  wi  re  not  acquainted  with  the  coun- 
try, and  were  not  competent  to  direct  such  an  ex- 
pedition ;  while  at  the  same  time  he  had  a  man 
who  had  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the  country,  whom 
he  promised  to  send,  but  which  he  neglected  to 
do." 

The  detachment,  which  left  camp  in  the  evening 
of  October  25th,  crossed  the  stream,  and  soon  got 
lost  in  a  hemlock  swamp,  where  it  wandered  about 
in  the  darkness,  sometimes  doubling  on  its  tracks,  so 
that  the  two  ends  of  the  column  would  come  in  con- 


r 


i 


1S13.] 


IVILAJNSOA"  S  EXPEDI  TlOt^. 


«5'; 


tact  with  each  otlicr  and  wonder  whether  they  had 
met  friend  or  foe.  As  might  have  been  expected,  it 
completely  failed  to  find  the  lower  ford. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  26th,  though  nothing  had 
been  heard  from  the  detachment,  the  main  force 
moved  against  the  works  in  front.  De  Salaberry 
boldly  threw  forward  a  force  to  meet  it,  resting  his 
left  on  the  river  and  his  right  on  a  thick  wootl,  in 
the  edge  of  which  he  posted  a  body  of  Indians. 
The  cracking  of  rifles  began  at  once,  and  sharp  and 
persistent  fighting  ensued.  Slowly  and  steadily  the 
Americans,  under  the  immediate  command  of  Ge»'>- 
eral  George  Izard,  pressed  back  this  advance  upon 
the  main  body  of  the  enemy.  But  at  this  point  the 
detachment  across  the  river  encountered  a  detach- 
ment of  British  troops.  Purdy's  advance  guard  was 
driven  back,  and  then  fire  was  opened  upon  him  by 
a  concealed  body  of  militia,  which  threw  him  into 
confusion  and  caused  a  disorderly  retreat.  At  the 
same  time,  Hampton  was  deceived  by  a  ruse  of  De 
Salaberry's,  who  had  placed  buglers  at  several  points 
in  the  woods,  with  orders  to  sound  an  advance. 
Thoroughly  disconcerted,  and  perhaps  frightened  by 
this  failure  of  his  plan,  and  the  supposed  onset  of  a 
great  force  of  the  enemy,  Hampton  at  once  with- 
drew his  troops  and  abandoned  the  attack,  falling 
back  soon  afterward  to  Chateaugua  Four  Corners. 


f 


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WILKINSON' S  liXPKDI  TION. 


[1813. 


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He  had  lost  about  forty  men  killed  or  wounded  ;  the 
enemy  about  twenty-five. 

On  learning  of  the  defection  of  Hampton,  Wilkin- 
son called  a  council  of  war,  the  result  of  which  was 
a  determination  to  ascend  Salmon  River  and  go  into 
winter  quarters.  Thus  ended  ingloriously  one  more 
of  the  ill-advised  and  ill-managed  attempts  to  con- 
quer Lower  Canada. 

The  cost  of  these  campaigns  had  been  enormous 
to  both  belligerents.  The  Americans  had  spent 
about  two  and  a  half  million  dollars  in  building  ves- 
sels on  lakes  Erie,  Ontario,  and  Champlain  ;  which 
was  a  large  sum  for  that  day,  and  yet  was  small  in 
comparison  with  the  incidental  cost  of  maintaining 
considerable  bodies  of  troops  in  idleness  through  a 
whole  summer  while  waiting  for  the  fleets  to  be 
built.  It  was  estimated  that  the  conveyance  of  each 
cannon  to  Sackett's  Harbor  had  cost  a  thousand 
dollars.  The  flour  for  Harrison's  army,  by  the  time 
it  reached  the  troops,  had  cost  a  hundred  dollars  a 
barrel.  There  were  long  distances  through  the  wil- 
derness of  Western  New  York  and  Northern  Ohio 
where  supplies  could  only  be  carried  on  packhorses, 
half  a  barrel  to  a  horse,  and  other  horses  had  to  fol- 
low with  forage  for  those  that  were  carrying  the  sup- 
plies. Most  of  the  horses  were  used  up  by  a  single 
trip.     Of  four  thousand  used  in  carrying  provisions 


'k. 


1813] 


ly/Lh'INSON'S  I'Xl'EDl J/0,V. 


i6i 


to  Harrison,  but  ciglit  hundred  were  alive  the  next 
spring.  Ill  Canada  tlie  hardships  of  war  rested 
licavily  upon  the  people  as  well  as  the  soldiers.  All 
tiieir  salt  had  come  from  the  United  States,  and 
what  little  there  was  on  that  side  of  the  border  when 
communication  with  this  country  ceased  was  held 
at  a  dollar  a  quart.  At  Kingston  flour  was  thirty 
dollars  a  barrel.  So  scarce  were  provisions  of  all 
kinds,  that  the  Government  appointed  commission- 
ers to  determine  how  much  food  each  family  should 
be  permitted  to  consume.  In  the  British  camps, 
lean  cattle  were  killed  to  prevent  their  starving  to 
death,  and  then  the  meat  was  eaten  by  the  soldiers. 
In  later  wars  we  have  often  succeeded  in  shooting 
more  men,  but  seldom  in  producing  more  misery. 

The  withdrawal  of  troops  from  the  Niagara  frontier 
to  take  part  in  Wilkinson's  expedition  left  the  de- 
fence of  that  line  almost  entirely  to  militia,  and  the 
term  for  which  the  militia  had  been  called  out  ex- 
pired on  the  9th  of  December.  The  next  day 
General  George  McClure,  who  had  been  left  in  com- 
mand at  Fort  George,  found  himself  at  the  head  of 
but  sixty  effective  men,  while  the  British  General 
Drummond  had  brought  up  to  the  peninsula  four 
hundred  troops  and  seventy  Indians — released  by 
the  failure  of  Wilkinson's  expedition — and  was  pre- 
paring to  attack  him. 


r* 
I 


It  I 


m 


A   .1 


V 


l62 


IVILKhVSON'  S  EXP  EDI  TION. 


[1813. 


:j   m 


m 


ir.lj-j 


1 


McCluro  thereupon  determined  to  evacuate  the 
fort,  as  the  only  alternative  from  capture  or  destruc- 
tion, and  remove  his  men  and  stores  across  the  river 
to  Fort  Niagara,  He  also  determined  to  burn  the  vil- 
lage of  Newark,  that  the  enemy  might  find  no  shel- 
ter. The  laudable  part  of  this  plan  was  but  imperfect- 
ly carried  out  ;  he  failed  to  destroy  the  barracks, 
and  left  unharmed  tents  for  fifteen  hundred  men, 
several  pieces  of  artillery,  and  a  large  quantity  of 
ammunition,  all  of  which  fell  into  the  hands  of 
Drummond's  men.  But  the  inexcusable  part — the 
burning  of  a  village  in  midwinter,  inhabited  by  non- 
combatants  who  had  been  guilty  of  no  special  of- 
fence—was only  too  faithfully  executed.  The  in- 
habitants were  given  twelve  hours  in  which  to  re- 
move their  goods,  and  then  the  torch  was  applied, 
and  not  a  house  was  left  standing. 

This  needless  cruelty  produced  its  natural  result  ; 
Drummond  determined  upon  swift  and  ample  retali- 
ation. In  the  night  of  December  i8th,  just  one 
week  after  the  burning  of  Newark,  he  threw  across 
the  Niagara  a  force  of  five  hundred  and  fifty  men. 
They  landed  at  Five  Mile  Meadows,  three  miles 
above  Fort  Niagara,  and  marched  upon  it  at  once, 
arriving  there  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Mc- 
Clure,  vvIjo  had  received  an  intimation  of  the 
enemy's  intention  to  devastate  the  American   fron- 


I813.J 


WILKIN  SO  A  '  5  EX  FED  I TION. 


'63 


tier,  had  gone  to  Buffalo  ^o  raise  a  force  to  oppose 
him.  The  garrison  of  the  fort  consisted  of  about 
four  hundred  and  fifty  men,  a  large  number  of  whom 
were  in  the  hospital.  The  command  had  been  left 
to  a  Captain  Leonard,  who  at  this  time  was  three 
miles  away,  sleeping  at  a  farm-house. 

The  most  elaborate  preparations  had  been  made 
for  the  capture  of  the  fort,  including  scaling-ladders 
for  mounting  the  bastions.  But  the  Americans 
seemed  to  have  studied  to  make  the  task  as  easy  as 
possible.  The  sentries  were  seized  and  silenced  be- 
fore they  could  give  any  alarm,  and  the  main  gate 
was  found  standing  wide  open,  so  that  the  Ikitish 
had  only  to  walk  straight  in  and  begin  at  once  the 
stabbing  which  had  been  determined  upon. 

The  guard  in  the  south-east  block-house  fired  one 
volley,  by  which  the  British  commander.  Colonel 
Murray,  was  wounded,  rnd  a  portion  of  the  invalids 
made  what  resistance  they  could.  A  British  lieu- 
tenant and  five  men  were  killed,  and  a  surgeon  and 
three  men  wounded.  Sixty-five  Americans,  two 
thirds  of  whom  were  invalids,  were  bayoneted  in 
their  beds  ;  fifteen  others,  who  had  taken  refuge  in 
the  cellars,  were  despatched  in  the  same  manner, 
and  fourteen  were  wounded  ;  twenty  escaped,  and 
all  the  others,  about  three  hundred  and  forty,  were 
made  prisoners.     Some  accounts  say  also  that  the 


141 

'Si 

11 


'f^ 


m  ' 

^■^ 

111!! 


164 


/  V  ILK  IN  SON' S  EXP  EDI  I  'ION. 


[1813. 


women  in  the  fort  were  treated  with  great  cruelty 
and  indignity. 

On  the  same  morning,  General  Riall,  with  a  de- 
tachment of  British  troops  and  five  hundred  Indians, 
crossed  from  Oueenstown  and  attacked  Lewiston. 
The  small  force  of  Americans  here,  under  Major 
Bennett,  fought  till  they  were  surrounded,  and  then 
cut  their  way  out  through  the  enemy,  losing  eight 
men.  The  village  was  then  plundered  and  burned, 
the  savages  adding  all  the  atrocities  characteristic  of 
their  mode  of  warfare. 

Riall  next  marched  his  troops  through  the  villages 
of  Youngstown,  Tuscarora,  and  Manchester  (now 
Niagara  Falls),  and  plundered  and  burned  them  all, 
while  the  terror-stricken  inhabitants  were  butchered 
or  driven  away.  Nor  was  the  devastation  confined 
to  the  villages.  For  several  miles  from  the  river, 
the  houses  and  barns  of  the  farmers  were  destroyed, 
and  the  women  and  children  either  killed  or  turned 
shelterless  into  the  woods  and  fields. 

The  bridge  over  Tonawanda  Creek  had  been  de- 
stroyed by  the  Americans,  and  at  this  point  the 
enemy  turned  back,  and  soon  recrossed  the  Niagara 
to  the  Canada  side. 

The  alarm  at  Buffalo  brought  General  Hall,  of  the 
New  York  militia,  to  that  village,  where  he  arrived 
the  day  after  Christmas.     He  found  collected  there 


I8i3] 


WILKINSON' S  EXPEDITION. 


165 


a  body  of  seventeen  hundred  men,  whom  it  would 
have  been  gross  flattery  to  call  a  "  force."  They 
were  poorly  supplied  with  arms  and  cartridges,  and 
had  no  discipline  and  almost  no  organization. 
Another  regiment  of  three  hundred  soon  joined  them, 
but  without  adding  much  to  their  efficiency. 

On  the  28th  of  December,  Drummond  reconnoi- 
tred the  American  camp,  and  determined  to  attack 
it  ;  for  which  purpose  he  sent  over  General  Riall  on 
the  evening  of  the  29th  with  fourteen  hundred  and 
fifty  men,  largely  regulars,  and  a  body  of  Indians. 
One  detachment  landed  two  miles  below  Black  Rock, 
crossed  Canajokaties  Creek  in  the  face  of  a  slight  re- 
sistance, and  took  possession  of  a  battery.  The  re- 
mainder landed  at  a  point  betwben  Buffalo  and  Black 
Rock,  under  cover  of  a  battery  on  the  Canadian 
shore.  Poor  as  Hall's  troops  were,  they  stood  long 
enough  to  fire  upon  the  invaders  and  inflict  consid- 
erable loss. 

As  the  enemy  landed  here  and  formed  in  battle 
order.  Hall  with  his  raw  militia  attacked  both  wings 
and  for  a  short  time  made  a  gallant  fight,  especially 
on  the  American  left,  where  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Blakeslie  handled  four  hundred  Ontario  county  men 
remarkably  well  and  disputed  the  ground  with  great 
firmness.  Both  sides  had  artillery,  with  which  the 
action  was  opened.     As  it  progressed,  however,  the 


'.'     ! 


i66 


IV I L  KIN  SON' S  EXP  EDI  TION 


[1813. 


American  line  was  broken  in  the  centre,  and  Hall 
was  compelled  to  fall  back.  His  subsequent 
attempts  to  rally  his  men  were  of  no  avail,  and  he 
himself  seems  to  have  lost  heart  ;  as  Lieutenant 
Riddle,  who  had  about  eighty  regulars,  offered  to 
place  them  in  front  for  the  encouragement  of  the 
militia  to  new  exertion,  but  Hall  declined.  Riddle 
then  offered,  if  Hall  would  give  him  two  hundred 
men,  to  attempt  to  save  the  village  from  destruction, 
anc''  at  least  to  bring  away  the  women  and  children, 
that  they  might  not  fall  under  the  tomahawk  and 
scalping-knife  ;  but  even  this  the  General  refused, 
and  the  village  was  then  left  to  its  fate,  though  Rid- 
dle went  in  with  his  own  men  and  rescued  the  con- 
tents o'"  the  arsenal  and  some  other  property. 

Both  Buffalo  and  Black  Rock  were  sacked  and 
burned,  and  no  mercy  was  shown.  With  but  two  or 
three  exceptions,  those  of  the  inhabitants  who  were 
not  able  to  run  away  were  massacred,  many  of  them 
being  first  submitted  to  torture  and  indignity.  It  is 
related  that  in  Buffalo  a  widow  named  St.  John 
"  had  the  address  to  appease  the  ferocity  of  the 
enemy  so  far  as  to  remain  in  her  house  uninjured." 
Her  house  and  the  stone  jail  were  the  only  buildings 
not  laid  in  ashes.  In  Black  Rock  every  building  was 
either  burned  or  blown  up,  except  one  log  house,  in 
which  a  few  women  and  children   had  taken  refuge. 


iSi3.] 


WILKINSON'S  EXPEDITION. 


167 


Whether  they  had  the  peculiar  address  necessary  to 
"  appease  the  ferocity  of  the  enemy,"  or  were  mere- 
ly overlooked,  is  not  recorded.  Five  vessels  lying  at 
the  wharves  were  also  burned. 

In  this  expedition  the  British  lost  a  hundred  and 
eight  men,  killed,  wounded,  or  missing.  More  than 
fifty  of  the  Americans  were  found  dead  on  the  field. 
Truly,  an  abundant  revenge  had  been  taken  for  the 
burning  of  Newark.  McClure,  who  had  given  the 
provocation  for  these  atrocities,  was  an  Irishman, 
and  the  absurdity  of  his  whole  course  in  the  matter 
seemed  calculated  to  justify  the  common  sarcasms 
levelled  against  his  countrymen  for  want  of  foresight. 

All  that  the  Americans  had  gained  on  the  northern 
frontier  during  the  year  181 3,  with  the  exception  of 
the  territory  of  Michigan,  restored  by  Harrison's 
victor>%  had  now  been  lost,  and  on  New  Year's  day 
of  18 14  the  settlers  along  the  whole  length  of  the 
Niagara — those  of  them  who  sur  'ved — were  shiver- 
ing beside  the  smouldering  embers  of  their  homes. 


»-.'!  ■ 


m 


\  .' 


% 


Wm 


r    ■   ■] 


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f 


CHAPTER    X. 

WAR   IN    THE   SOUTH. 

Engagement  at  Lewistown — Fight  in  Delaware  Bay — Burning  of 
Havre  de  Grace,  Georgetown,  and  Fredericktown — Battle  at 
Craney  Island — Destruction  of  Hampton — Troubles  wMth  the 
Southern  Indians — Fight  at  Burnt  Corn  Creek — Massacre  at  Fort 
Mims — Jackson's  Campaign — Fights  at  Talluschatches,  Talla- 
dega, the  Hillabee  Towns,  Autosse,  and  Econochaca — Dale's 
Canoe  Fight. 

While  these  costly  and  almost  useless  campaigns 
were  being-  fought  at  the  North,  the  Southern 
States  were  not  without  their  war  experiences, 
which  in  some  instances  were  quite  as  bloody. 
Along  the  southern  Atlantic  coast  the  British  had 
a  great  advantage  from  their  heavy  war-ships, 
which  blockaded  the  harbors,  ran  into  the  naviga- 
ble inlets,  bombarded  the  towns,  and  sent  parties 
ashore  to  plunder  and  burn.  The  militia  did  what 
they  could  to  repel  these  incursions,  and  in  some 
cases,  by  handling  a  few  pieces  of  artillery  skilfully, 
drove  off  the  invaders.  Lewistown,  on  Delaware 
Bay,  was  bombarded  in  April.  The  shells  fell 
short,  and  the  rockets  went  over  the  town,  but 
many  of  the  solid  shot  went  through  the  houses, 
doing  considerable   damage.     In  May,   a   party  of 


I8i3.] 


PFAJ^   IN    THE   SOUTH. 


169 


V  \\ 


sailors  sent  ashore  to  get  water  for  the  squadron 
near  Lewistown  were  spiritedly  attacked  by  militia, 
and  compelled  to  return  to  their  ships  with  empty 
casks.  A  fortnight  later  a  party  was  sent  ashore 
for  provisions,  but  was  driven  off  by  the  vigilant 
militia  before  a  mouthful  had  been  obtained. 

On  the  29th  of  July  the  British  sloop-of-war 
Martin  grounded  in  Delaware  Bay,  and  eight  gun- 
boats and  two  sloops,  commanded  by  Captain 
Angus,  went  down  to  attack  her.  They  anchored 
within  three  quarters  of  a  mile,  and  opened  upon 
her  with  all  their  guns.  The  frigate  Ju  ui  came  to 
her  assistance,  and  the  cannonade  was  kept  up  for 
nearly  two  hours.  The  British  sailors  proved  to  be 
very  poor  gunners,  in  comparison  with  the  Ameri- 
cans. Hardly  a  shot  struck  the  gun-boats,  while 
the  sloop  and  the  frigate  were  hulled  at  almost 
every  discharge.  At  length  the  British  manned  their 
launches,  barges,  and  cutters,  to  the  number  of  ten, 
and  pulled  off  to  cut  out  some  of  the  gun-boats  at 
the  end  of  the  line.  Eight  of  them  attacked  a  sin- 
gle gun-boat  commanded  by  Sailing-Master  Shead, 
who  used  his  sweeps  to  get  his  craft  nearer  the 
squadron,  from  which  it  had  become  separated,  but 
all  the  while  kept  firing  his  twenty-four  pounder  at 
his  pursuers,  striking  one  or  another  of  them  with 
almost  every  shot.    Finding  they  were  rapidly  gain- 


'Jt! 


wmf 


W*" 


mmm 


170 


IV A/?  IN   THE   SOUTH. 


[1813. 


it    'HI 
i      ^''! 


iiiiii 


y 

• 

ing  on  liim,  he  anchored  and  waited  for  them  to 
attempt  boarding.  He  gave  them  two  more  gun- 
fuls,  as  they  drew  nigh,  with  terrible  effect,  when 
the  piece  became  disabled.  The  barges  completely 
surrounded  the  little  gun-boat,  and  there  was  a  des- 
perate conflict  hand-to-hand.  But  of  course  it 
could  not  last  long.  Shead's  crew  were  soon  over- 
powered, and  the  British  flag  waved  triumphantly 
over  his  deck.  Seven  of  the  British  sailors  had 
been  killed,  and  twelve  wounded,  while  seven  of 
Shead's  men  were  wounded. 

On  the  Chesapeake  the  Americans  fared  even 
worse.  Early  in  the  morning  of  the  3d  of  May, 
the  British  Admiral  Cockburn  sent  a  force  in  nine- 
teen barges  to  destroy  the  town  of  Havre  de  Grace 
and  ravage  the  country  between  it  and  Baltimore. 
A  small  battery  had  been  erected  for  the  defence 
of  the  place  ;  but  it  was  still  dark  when  the  enemy 
came,  and  the  first  notice  the  inhabitants  had 
of  his  approach  was  given  by  the  balls  whistling 
through  the  houses.  A  panic  and  stampede  en- 
sued. But  a  few  men  ran  to  the  battery,  and  fired 
at  the  barges  till  the  British  began  to  land,  when 
they  all  joined  in  the  flight,  except  an  old  man 
named  O'Neill,  who  stood  by  one  of  the  guns  and 
continued  to  load  and  fire  it  till,  in  recoiling,  it  ran 
over   his  thigh  and  somewhat  disabled   him.     He 


i8i3l 


PVA/f   IN   THE   SOUTH. 


171 


still  had  strength  to  get  away,  armed  himself  with 
two  muskets,  and  tried  in  vain  to  rally  the  militia, 
but  finally  was  taken  prisoner.  He  and  his  com- 
panions at  the  battery  had  killed  three  of  the 
enemy  and  wound  :d  two. 

As  soon  as  the  British  forces  had  landed,  fire  was 
set  to  the  houses  not  already  destroyed  by  shells, 
while  the  sailors  and  marines  went  through  them, 
smashing  furniture,  cutting  open  beds  to  feed  the 
flames,  insulting  women,  and  spreading  terror. 
One  house  only,  filled  with  women,  was  spared 
after  a  special  appeal  to  the  Admiral.  A  church 
just  outside  of  the  town  was  gutted,  farm-houses  on 
the  road  to  Baltimore  were  plundered,  travellers 
were  robbed,  and  bridges,  furnaces,  and  mills  were 
destroyed. 

The  little  villages  of  Georgetown  and  Frederick- 
town,  Maryland,  were  the  next  spoil  of  the  Admi- 
ral, who  led  the  ravaging  party  in  person.  But  he 
did  not  succeed  in  landing  till  his  men  in  the  boats 
had  suffered  severely  from  the  fire  of  a  battery 
manned  by  thirty-five  militiamen,  which  was  kept 
up  steadily  for  half  an  hour.  Not  a  house  was  left 
standing  in  either  of  the  villages,  and  the  enemy 
enriched  themselves  with  all  the  plunder  they  could 
carry  away. 

About  this  time  Admiral  W^arren,  who  had  issued 


!  ,  'i 


172 


//'.//?   IN   THE   SOUTH. 


[1813. 


from  Bermuda  a  proclamation  dcclarinfr  New  York, 
Charleston,  Port  Royal,  Savannah,  and  the  whole 
of  the  Mississippi  River  under  blockade —a  paper 
blockade,  at  which  both  Americans  and  neutrals 
laughed — joined  Admiral  Cockburn,  in  the  Chesa- 
peake, and  they  determined  to  extend  as  far  as 
possible  the  pillaging  and  burning  of  towns  on  the 
coast. 

The  next  one  selected  v/as  Norfolk,  Va.  But  the 
approach  to  the  town  was  commanded  by  a  battery 
on  Craney  Island,  and  this  battery  was  promptly 
manned  by  a  hundred  American  sailors,  under 
command  of  Lieutenant  Neale,  of  the  navy,  and 
fifty  marines  under  Lieutenant  Breckenridge.  It 
was  dawn  of  day  on  the  22d  of  June  when  four 
thousand  British  sailors  and  marines,  in  barges, 
came  in  sight  of  the  island  ;  and  when  they  were 
fairly  under  the  guns  of  the  battery,  it  blazed  out. 
The  pieces  were  served  rapidly  and  with  such  pre- 
cision that  many  of  the  barges  were  cut  clear  in 
two,  and  their  occupants  would  have  been  drowned 
had  they  not  been  promptly  rescued  by  the  others. 
The  Admiral  was  in  a  boat  fifty  feet  long,  called 
the  Centipede,  and  this  was  so  riddled  with  shot 
that  he  and  his  crew  had  barely  time  to  get  out  of  it 
when  it  sank.  Before  this  merciless  and  unremit- 
ting fire  the  squadron  of  barges  at  length  retreated 


r 


1813.] 


W^//i?  IN   THE  SOUTir. 


«73 


to  the  ships.  At  the  same  time,  a  body  of  eight 
hundred  soldiers  had  been  put  ashore,  to  attack  the 
town  by  land.  But  for  them  a  force  of  Virgiiii:i 
volunteers,  under  Colonel  Bcatty,  were  waiting, 
with  a  well-placed  battery  of  six  guns.  The  enemy 
had  not  all  landed  when  the  battery  opened  upon 
them,  with  such  effect  that  they  retreated  at  once. 
A  part  of  them  took  refuge  in  a  house,  from  which 
they  fired  rockets  at  the  battery-men  ;  but  an 
American  gun-boat  came  up  and  sent  a  few  twenty- 
four-pound  balls  crashing  through  the  house,  when 
the  last  of  the  enemy  fled,  making  their  way  back 
to  the  fleet  as  speedily  as  possible. 

Smarting  under  this  defeat,  the  British  command- 
ers immediately  planned  the  destruction  of  Hamp- 
ton, eighteen  miles  from  Norfolk,  which  they  ^up- 
posed  would  cut  off  communication  between  the 
latter  place  and  the  upper  part  of  Virginia. 

At  daylight  on  the  25th,  two  thousand  five  hun- 
dred soldiers,  commanded  by  vSir  Sydney  Beckwith, 
were  landed  several  miles  below  Hampton,  and 
marched  on  the  town.  At  the  same  time,  a  squad- 
ron of  boats,  commanded  by  Admiral  Cockburn  and 
protected  by  the  sloop-of-war  Mohawk,  drew  up 
before  the  place  and  fired  in  rockets,  shells,  and 
solid  shot.  The  entire  garrison  of  the  place  con- 
sisted   of   six    hundred    and    thirty-six    men,    com- 


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174 


WAR  r:     THE   SOUTH. 


[1813. 


manded  by  Major  Crutchfield,  who  had  seven  pieces 
of  artillery. 

As  Cockburn's  barges  approached  the  town,  fire 
was  opened  upon  them  with  two  twelve-pounders, 
which  did  so  much  execution  that  the  Admiral 
found  it  discreet  to  draw  off  and  take  position 
behind  a  point  of  land  where  the  American  gunners 
could  not  see  him.  From  this  shelter  he  fired 
rockets  and  shells  for  an  hour,  but  30  wildly  that 
not  the  slightest  damage  was  effected  by  them. 

Crutchfield  sent  a  company  of  riflemen,  under 
Captain  Servant,  with  orders  to  conceal  themseh'es 
in  the  woods  near  the  road  where  Beckwith's 
column  would  pass  in  approaching  the  town,  to 
annoy  and  delay  it  as  much  as  possible.  This  was 
done  so  skilfully  as  to  inflict  considerable  loss  upon 
the  enemy  ;  and  when  Crutchfield  saw  that  the 
barges  would  not  approach  the  town  again  till  it 
was  in  the  possession  of  Beckwith,  he  marched  with 
the  greater  part  of  his  force  to  the  assistance  of  the 
riflemen,  leaving  Captain  Pryvjr  with  a  few  men  to 
manage  the  battery  and  keep  off  the  barges. 

Crutchfield's  column  was  fired  upon  just  as  the 
British  column  had  been,  by  riflemen  concealed  in 
a  wood  ;  and  as  he  wheeled  to  charge  upon  the 
hidden  foe,  he  was  greeted  by  a  sudden  fire  from 
two  six-pounders  and  a  discharge  of  rockets.     The 


i8i3.] 


IVA/i  IN   THE   SOUTH. 


175 


enemy*s  artillery  was  so  well  handled  that  Crutch- 
field's  column  was  broken  up,  and  a  portion  of  it 
driven  from  the  field.  The  remainder  made  its  way 
through  a  defile,  all  the  while  under  fire,  to  a  junc- 
tion with  Servant's  riflemen.  At  the  same  time  Cap- 
tain Cooper,  with  what  few  cavalrymen  the  Ameri- 
cans had,  was  annoying  the  enemy's  left  flank. 

Crutchfield  kept  up  the  fighting  with  spirit  as 
long  as  possible,  but  of  course  was  obliged  to  give 
way  at  last.  Captain  Pryor  and  his  men  held  their 
ground  at  the  battery,  preventing  any  landing  from 
the  barges,  till  the  enemy's  land  force  came  up  in 
the  rear  and  was  within  sixty  yards  of  the  guns. 
He  then  ordered  the  artillerists  to  spike  the  pieces, 
and  break  through  the  corps  of  British  marines  ap- 
proaching in  the  rear  ;  which  order  was  at  once 
obeyed,  to  the  astonishment  of  the  marines,  who 
failed  to  hurt  or  capture  a  single  man.  With  Cap- 
tain Pryor  still  at  their  head,  the  little  band  plunged 
into  a  creek  and  swam  across,  those  who  had  car- 
bines or  side-arms  taking  them  with  them,  and 
escaped  beyond  pursuit.  Crutchfield  in  his  retreat 
was  followed  for  two  miles  by  a  strong  force,  which 
failed  to  overtake  him,  while  he  frequently  halted 
his  men  behind  fences  and  walls,  to  deliver  a  volley 
at  the  approaching  enemy  and  then  continue  the 
retreat. 


176 


H^A/i  IN   THE  SOUTH. 


[1813. 


f'f! 

i 


En 

1 1  i 

{•I;- 


1 

1 

■ 

i 

i 

i  ( 

i  * 

■  ■{ 

iiil. 

In  this  fight  the  British  had  ninety  men  killed, 
and  a  hundred  and  twenty  wounded.  The  Ameri- 
can loss  was  seven  killed,  twelve  wounded,  and 
twelve  missing. 

The  village  of  Hampton  was  now  at  the  mercy  of 
an  enemy  who  showed  no  mercy,  and  was  immedi- 
ately given  up  to  plunder  and  outrage,  which  con- 
tinued for  two  days  and  nights.  The  town  was  not 
burned,  but  every  house  was  ruined  as  to  its  furni- 
ture and  decorations,  except  the  one  in  which  the 
commanding  officers  were  quartered.  Such  deeds 
were  perpetrated  by  the  British  soldiers  and  sailors, 
unrestrained  by  their  officers,  as  had  hardly  been 
paralleled  even  in  Indian  warfare.  Neither  age 
nor  sex  nor  innocence  was  any  protection.  In  one 
case  an  old  and  infirm  citizen  was  murdered  in  the 
presence  of  his  aged  wife  ;  and  when  she  remon- 
strated, a  soldier  presented  a  pistol  at  her  breast 
and  shot  her  dead.  Women  with  infants  in  their 
arms  were  pursued  till  they  threw  themselves  into 
the  river  to  escape,  children  were  wantonly  killed, 
and  such  shameful  scenes  were  enacted  as  cannot 
even  be  mentioned  in  a  history  written  for  youth. 
The  soldiers  destroyed  all  the  medical  stores,  that 
were  necessary  for  the  care  of  the  sick  and  wounded. 
They  also  stole  a  considerable  number  of  slaves 
and  sent  them  to  the  West  Indies,  not  to  be  liber- 


I8i3.] 


WAK   IN    THE   SOUTH. 


177 


atcd,  but  to  be  sold  and  turned  into  cash.  When 
they  abandoned  the  town,  they  went  in  such  haste 
that  they  left  behind  a  large  quantity  of  provisions, 
arms,  and  ammunition,  and  some  of  their  men,  who 
were  captured  next  day  by  Cooper's  cavalry. 

The  indignation  aroused  by  the  unhappy  fate  of 
Hampton  was  such  that  General  Robert  R.  Taylor, 
commandant  of  the  district,  addressed  a  letter  to 
Admiral  Warren,  inquiring  whether  the  outrages 
were  sanctioned  by  the  British  commanders,  and  if 
not,  whether  the  perpetrators  were  to  be  punished. 
The  Admiral  referred  the  letter  to  Sir  Sydney  Beck- 
with,  who  did  not  attempt  to  deny  that  the  out- 
rages had  been  committed  as  charged,  but  sa'd  that 
"the  excesses  at  Hampton,  of  which  General  Tay- 
lor complains,  were  occasioned  by  a  proceeding  at 
Craney  Island.  At  the  recent  attack  on  that  place, 
the  troops  in  a  barge  which  had  been  sunk  by  the 
fire  of  the  American  guns  had  been  fired  on  by  a 
party  of  Americans,  who  waded  out  and  shot  these 
poor  fellows  while  clinging  to  the  wreck  of  the 
boat ;  and  with  a  feeling  natural  to  such  a  proceed- 
ing, the  men  of  that  corps  landed  at  Hampton." 
General  Taylor  at  once  appointed  a  court  of  ioiquiry, 
which  by  a  careful  investigation  found  that  none  of 
the  men  belonging  to  the  wrecked  barge  had  been 
fired  upon,  except  one  who  was  trying  to  escape  to 


I 


178 


PVAA'  IN   THE   SOUTH. 


[1813. 


that  division  of  the  British  troops  which  had  landed, 
and  he  was  not  killed  ;  while,  so  far  from  shooting 
the  unfortunate  men  in  the  water,  some  of  the 
Americans  had  waded  out  to  assist  them.  The 
report  embodying  these  facts  was  forwarded  to  Sir 
Sydney,  who  never  made  any  reply  —  which  perhaps 
is  the  most  nearly  graceful  thing  a  man  can  do 
when  he  has  been  convicted  of  a  deliberate  and 
outrageous  falsehood. 

In  the  far  South  a  better  success  attended  the 
American  arms  this  summer  than  either  on  the 
Northern  border  or  the  Atlantic  coast.  This  was 
owing  partly  to  the  greater  simplicity  of  the  task 
that  lay  before  the  commanders,  and  partly  to  the 
greater  energy  with  which  they  entered  upon  it, 
but  chiefly  to  the  difference  in  the  enemy.  In 
Canada  and  on  the  coast,  our  men  contended  with 
forces  largely  made  up  of  British  regulars,  at  that 
time  perhaps  the  most  efficient  soldiery  in  the 
world.  In  Florida  and  Alabama  they  contended 
indeed  with  British  arms,  but  they  were  in  the 
hands  of  Indians. 

The  English  agents  at  Pensacola,  with  the  con- 
nivance of  the  Spanish  authorities  there  —  for  Flor- 
ida belonged  to  Spain  till  the  United  States  pu**- 
chased  it  in  1819  —  had  supplied  the  Creeks  with 
rifles,  ammunition,  and  provisions,  and  sent  them 


i8i3] 


PVAJ^  IN   THE   SOUTH. 


179 


on  the  war-path,  not  against  the  American  armies, 
for  there  were  none  in  that  region,  but  against  the 
settlers  and  scattered  posts  along  the  navigable 
rivers.  A  premium  of  five  dollars  was  offered  for 
every  scalp  —  whether  of  man,  woman,  or  child  — 
which  the  savages  might  bring  to  the  British 
agency. 

The  militia  of  Georgia,  Alabama,  and  Tennessee 
were  called  out  to  meet  the  emergency,  and  before 
the  year  was  over  the  Creeks  had  been  made  to 
suffer  a  terrible  retribution. 

As  one  body  of  these  Indians,  commanded  by  a 
half-breed  named  McQueen,  started  for  the  interior, 
a  militia  force  under  Colonel  James  Caller  set  out 
to  intercept  them.  On  the  27th  of  July  they  were 
found  encamped  on  a  small,  low  peninsula  enclosed 
in  one  of  the  windings  of  Burnt  Corn  Creek.  Caller 
promptly  attacked  them,  and  after  a  sharp  action 
routed  them.  But  he  called  back  the  pursuing 
detachment  too  soon,  the  Indians  rallied,  a  part  of 
the  whites  fled  in  panic,  and  the  remainder  had  a 
severe  fight  with  the  savages,  in  which  they  were 
outnumbered  and  defeated.  Caller  lost  two  men 
killed  and  fifteen  wounded. 

This  victory  inspired  the  Indians  with  new  confi- 
dence, while  it  spread  terror  among  the  settlers. 
The  next  hostile  movement  was  against  Fort  Mims, 


w 


I'' 


I 


!i    I 


m 


•■Mi. 


■i  iiliii 


[80 


IVA/l  IN   THE   SOUTH. 


[1813. 


on  Lake  Tensas,  near  Alabama  River,  forty  miles 
northward  of  Mobile.  This  work  was  a  storkade 
enclosure  of  about  an  acre,  which  a  farmer  named 
Mims  had  erected  for  the  protection  of  his  build- 
ings and  cattle.  It  was  loop-holed  for  musketry  all 
round,  and  at  one  corner  was  an  uncompleted  block- 
house. When  the  alarm  of  Indian  raids  had  gone 
forth,  the  settlers  flocked  to  Fort  Mims  from  all 
sides,  and  Governor  Claiborne  sent  a  hundred  and 
seventy-five  volunteers,  under  Major  Daniel  Beas- 
Icy,  to  defend  it.  The  space  was  so  crowded  that 
it  became  necessary  to  extend  the  stockade,  and 
another  enclosure  was  made  on  the  eastern  side, 
but  the  fence  between  was  left  standing.  On  the 
29th  of  August,  a  thousand  Creek  warriors,  com- 
manded by  William  Weathersford,  a  half-breed,  ar- 
rived within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  fort,  and  con- 
cealed themselves  in  a  ravine.  Some  of  them  were 
seen  by  two  Negroes  who  had  been  sent  out  to 
tend  cattle  ;  but  when  they  had  given  the  alarm, 
and  a  scouting  party  had  failed  to  find  any  trace  of 
Indians,  they  were  not  only  disbelieved,  but  se- 
verely flogged  for  lying. 

After  many  false  alarms,  the  occupants  of  the 
fort  had  become  incredulous  and  careless  of  danger, 
their  commander  perhaps  most  so  of  all.  On  the 
30th  the  gates  stood  wide  open,  no  guard  was  set, 


,.  li: 


i8i3.] 


fVA/!  IN   TJJE  SOUTH. 


i8i 


and  when  the  drum  beat  for  dinner  the  soldiers  laid 
aside  their  arms  and  went  to  their  meal  at  the  mo- 
ment when  the  savages  sprang  from  their  hiding- 
place  and  with  their  well-known  yell  rushed  toward 
the  stockade.  Officers  and  men  sprang  to  arms  at 
the  frightful  sound.  Major  Beasley,  in  attempting 
to  close  the  outer  gate,  was  knocked  dowii  and  run 
over  by  the  foremost  of  the  assailants,  many  of 
whom  poured  into  the  outer  enclosure,  where  they 
quickly  murdered  all  the  whites  whom  they  found. 
Beasley  himself  crawled  off  in  a  corner  to  die,  and 
the  command  devolved  upon  Captain  Bailey. 

When  the  Indians  attempted  to  enter  the  inner 
enclosure,  they  were  stopped  by  a  fire  through  the 
loop-holes  in  the  partition.  Five  of  their  prophets, 
who  had  proclaimed  that  their  charms  and  incanta- 
tions rendered  the  American  bullets  harmless,  all 
fell  dead  at  the  first  discharge.  This  produced  a 
temporary  check,  but  new  swarms  of  the  naked 
savages  came  up,  and  a  desperate  fight  through  the 
loop-holes  was  maintained  for  several  hours.  The 
soldiers  stood  manfully  at  their  posts,  were  as- 
sisted by  some  of  the  women  and  boys,  and  killed 
a  large  number  of  the  Indians,  who,  on  the  other 
hand,  were  sure  of  hitting  somebody  whenever  they 
fired  into  the  crowded  enclosure.  Numbers  of  the 
red-skins   were   constantly    dancing,    hooting,    and 


ill 


IH 


11 


n 


III'. 


i 


L  .:;!:■ 


-     'I 


182 


W'^/iV  /JV   THE   SOUTH. 


[>8i3. 


yelling  around  the  fort,  many  of  whom  were  shot 
by  the  old  men  of  the  garrison,  who  had  ascended 
to  the  attic  of  the  largest  house  and  cut  holes  in 
the  roof. 

The  enemy  were  getting  tired  of  this  costly  work, 
when  Weathersford  came  up,  exhorted  them  to 
new  efforts,  and  directed  fire-tipped  arrows  to  be 
shot  into  the  fort.  In  a  short  time  the  buildings 
were  in  flames,  and  the  miserable  inmates,  driven 
by  the  heat,  were  huddled  in  one  corner,  when  the 
Indians  burst  in  and  rapidly  completed  the  mas- 
sacre. Children  were  taken  by  the  heels,  and  their 
brains  dashed  out  against  the  walls  ;  women  were 
butchered  in  a  manner  unknown  since  the  wars  of 
the  ancient  Jews ;  a  few  Negroes  were  kept  for 
slaves,  but  not  one  white  person  was  left  alive— 
excepting  twelve,  who  had  secretly  cut  an  open- 
ing through  the  stockade  and  escaped  by  way 
of  the  lake.  Of  the  five  hundred  and  fifty-three 
persons  in  the  fort  at  noon,  at  least  four  hundred 
perished  before  night  ;  and  it  was  believed  that 
about  as  many  of  the  Indians  had  been  killed  or 
wounded. 

The  tidings  of  this  massacre  of  course  excited 
horror  and  indignation  in  every  part  of  the  country, 
but  nowhere  met  so  prompt  and  practical  a  re- 
sponse as  in  Tennessee.     The  Legislature  of  that 


I  III  i 


ISI3] 


IVA/l  IN   THE   SOUTH, 


183 


State  called  for  thirty  five  hundred  volunteers  —  in 
addition  to  fifteen  hundred  whom  she'  had  already 
enrolled  in  the  service  of  the  general  Government  — 
voted  an  appropriation  of  three  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  and  placed  them  under  command  of  General 
Andrew  Jackson.*  To  General  John  Cocke  was  en- 
trusted the  work  of  gathering  the  troops  from  East 
Tennessee,  and  providing  subsistence  for  the  whole. 
Fayettevillc  was  appointed  as  the  general  rendez- 
vous, and  Colonel  John  Coffee  was  sent  forward  to 
Huntsville,  Alabama,  with  a  cavalry  force  of  five 
hundred  men,  which  by  the  time  he  arrived  thf»*ft 
was  increased  to  thirteen  hundred. 

Jackson  reached  Fayetteville  on  the  7th  of  Octo- 
ber, began  drilling  his  men,  and  on  the  nth,  hear- 
ing from  Coffee  that  the  enemy  was  in  sight, 
marched  them  to  Huntsville  —  thirty-two  miles  —  in 
five  hours.  For  the  work  in  hand,  he  could  not 
have  asked  for  better  material  than  these  Western 
pioneers,  who  were  skilled  in  wood-craft,  who  knew 
the  tricks  and  manners  of  the  enemy,  and  were  as 
fearless  as  they  were  cunning.  Among  them  were 
Sam  Houston  and  the  eccentric  and  now  famous 
David  Crockett. 

The  only  serious  trouble  was  in  forwarding  the 

*  At  this  time  the  General  was  lying  helpless  at  Nashville,  from 
wounds  received  in  a  disgraceful  affray. 


\ 

I   I 

T'l 


\ 


i 


I    I 


mm 


184 


lyAA'   IN    TJIK    SOUTH. 


[1813. 


supplies.  At  the  most  southerly  point  on  Tennes- 
see River,  while  he  sent  out  the  cavalry  to  fora<;(j, 
Jackson  drilled  the  infantry  and  built  Fort  Deposit, 
intended  as  a  depot  for  provisions  when  the  rise  of 
water  should  allow  them  to  be  sent  down. 

Forty-five  miles  southward,  at  the  Ten  Islands  of 
the  Coosa,  friendly  Indians  were  calling  for  help 
against  the  hostile  Creeks.  By  a  week's  march,  in 
which  he  foraged  on  all  sides  and  burned  several 
villages,  Jackson  reached  that  place.  The  enemy 
were  in  camp  at  Talluschatches  (now  Jacksonville), 
thirteen  miles  eastward,  and  on  the  night  of  No- 
vember 2d  Colonel  Coffee  was  sent  out  with  a  thou- 
sand mounted  men  and  a  few  friendly  Creeks,  to 
attack  them.  At  sunrise  he  divided  his  force  into 
two  columns,  the  heads  of  which  united  near  the 
place,  while  the  remainder,  swinging  outward  and 
forward,  made  a  semicircle  about  the  little  town. 
Within  this,  two  companies  were  pushed  forward 
to  entice  the  Indians  from  their  shelter.  This  ac- 
complished, these  companies  retreated,  and  the 
whole  line  opened  fire  upon  the  savages  and  rapidly 
closed  in  upon  them.  "  Our  men  rushed  up  to  the 
doors  of  the  houses,"  said  Coffee  in  his  report, 
"and  in  a  few  minutes  killed  the  last  warrior  of 
them.  The  enemy  fought  with  savage  fury,  and 
met  death  with  all  its  horrors,  without  shrinking  ;m- 


[i8.3. 

^nnes- 
oragc, 
jposit, 
rise  of 


1813J 


ir^tA'  IN   THE   no  U  Til. 


18s 


complaining.  Not  one  asked  to  be  spared,  but 
fouglit  as  long  as  they  could  stand  or  sit."  About 
two  hundred  Indians  were  killed,  and  eighty-four 
women  and  children  were  made  prisoners.  The 
Americans  lost  five  men  killed  and  forty-one 
wounded. 

At  this  point  Jackson  was  joined  after  a  time  by 
the  forces  from  East  Tennessee  under  General 
Cocke,  and  here  he  built  Fort  Strother.  But  before 
Cocke's  arrival  he  learned  that  a  few  friendly  Ind- 
ians in  Fort  Talladega,  thirty  miles  south,  were 
completely  surrounded  by  a  thousand  Creeks,  who 
would  soon  reduce  them  by  starvation.  The  news 
was  brought  by  a  chief  who  had  disguised  himself 
in  a  hog-skin  and  escaped  from  the  fort  by  night. 

Jackson  at  once  put  himself  at  the  head  of  two 
thousand  men,  and  marched  to  the  relief  of  the  lit- 
tle fort.  On  the  9th  of  November  he  arrived  v/ithin 
striking  distance  of  the  enemy,  when  he  deployed 
his  columns,  placing  the  volunteers  on  the  right, 
the  militia  on  the  left,  and  the  cavalry  on  the  wings. 
He  adopted  precisely  the  same  plan  of  attack  that 
CofTee  had  used  at  Talluschatches ;  but  it  was  not 
so  completely  successful,  for  two  companies  of  the 
militia  temporarily  gave  way,  and  a  part  of  the  cav- 
alry had  to  dismount  and  fill  the  gap.  Jackson  be- 
lieved that  but  for  this  he  should  have  killed  every 


i\ 

>    j 

!; 

I  ,  j 

['  il 

I:  ' 


m 


iM6 


M^A/e  IN   THE  SOUTH. 


[1813. 


one  of  the  thousand  hostile  Indians  before  him. 
As  it  was,  two  hundred  and  ninety-nine  of  them 
were  left  dead  on  the  field,  while  the  remainder 
were  chased  to  the  mountains,  and  left  a  bloody 
track  as  they  ran.  The  loss  of  the  whites  was 
fifteen  killed  and  eighty-six  wounded. 

The  Indians  of  the  Hillabee  towns,  in  wha*:  is 
now  Cherokee  county,  sent  a  messenger  to  Jackson 
to  sue  for  peace,  through  whom  he  replied  that  they 
could  only  have  it  on  condition  of  returning  prison- 
ers and  property  and  surrendering  for  punishment 
those  who  had  been  engaged  in  the  massacres. 
But  while  they  awaited  an  answer,  General  Cocke, 
working  his  way  down  the  Coosa,  sent  a  force, 
under  General  White,  to  attack  these  towns.  White 
marched  rapidly,  destroying  everything  in  his  path, 
and  on  the  i8th  of  November  appeared  before  the 
principal  village,  which  he  at  once  fell  upon,  and 
killed  sixty  unresisting  Indians,  and  carried  back 
with  him  the  squaws  and  children.  The  Indians, 
who  supposed  all  the  whites  were  under  Jackson's 
command,  looked  upon  this  as  a  piece  of  treachery, 
and  became  more  desperate  than  ever.  For  this 
unfortunate  affair,  General  Cocke  has  been  severely 
blamed  ;  but  he  was  tried  by  a  court-martial,  and 
honorably  acquitted,  while  his  own  published  state- 
ment makes  it  clear  that  he  acted  in  entire  good 


i » 


lSi3.] 


PVA/^  IN   THE   SOUTH. 


187 


faith.  He  was  as  destitute  of  provisions  as  Jackson 
was,  and  thought  if  he  pushed  on  to  Fort  Strother 
it  would  only  double  the  number  of  starving  soldiers 
there. 

While  Jackson  was  coming  down  from  the  north, 
General  John  Floyd,  with  nine  hundred  and  fifty 
Georgians  and  four  hundred  Indians,  was  coming 
from  the  east.  He  first  found  the  enemy  at  Au- 
tosse,  on  the  Tallapoosa,  thirty  miles  east  of  the 
present  site  of  Montgomery,  where,  on  the  29th  of 
November,  he  attacked  them,  drove  them  from 
their  villages  to  holes  and  caves  in  the  river-bank, 
burned  all  their  dwellings,  and  then  hunted  down 
and  killed  as  many  of  them  as  possible.  At  icast 
two  hundred  fell.  The  whites  lost  eleven  killed 
and  fifty-four  wounded. 

General  Ferdinand  L.  Claiborne  entered  the 
country  from  the  west  in  July,  and  built  small  forts 
at  various  points.  On  the  12th  of  December  he 
left  Fort  Claiborne  (on  the  site  of  the  present  town 
of  that  name)  with  a  thousand  men,  and  after 
marching  more  than  a  hundred  miles  northeast,  he 
came  on  the  23d  to  an  Indian  town  of  refuge,  called 
Econochaca,  on  the  Alabama,  west  of  Montgornery. 
This  village  was  built  upon  what  the  Indian  proph- 
ets assured  the  tribe  was  holy  ground,  which  no 
white  man  cpuld  set  foot  upon  and  live.     No  path 


tH 


f^-:*^l 


I; 


)&  if 


W. 


I      i!    'I 

,1    !i  ;' 


I  : 

m 


m 


ifi 


HI, 


1 88 


/F^A'  /A^   ry/£   SOUTH. 


[I8I3. 


of  any  kind  led  to  it.  Here  the  women  and  chil- 
dren had  been  sent  for  safety ;  here,  in  a  little 
square,  the  prophets  performed  their  religious  rites, 
which  are  supposed  to  l,.ave  included  the  burning  of 
captivt  s  at  the  stake.  Several  captives,  of  both 
sexes,  it  is  said  were  standing  with  the  wood  piled 
about  them  when  Claiborne's  columns  appeared 
before  the  town. 

The  Indians,  who  had  hurried  their  women  and 
children  across  the  river,  fought  desperately  for  a 
short  time,  and  then  broke  and  fled,  many  of  them 
swimming  the  river  and  escaping.  About  thirty 
were  killed.  The  whites  lost  one  killed  and  six 
wounded.  Claiborne  sacked  and  burned  the  vil- 
lage, and  then  returned  to  Fort  Claiborne,  where 
his  forces  rapidly  melted  away  by  the  expiration  of 
their  terms  of  service.  Jackson,  at  Fort  Strother, 
was  in  a  similar  predicament  ;  and  thus  closed  the 
year  on  the  campaign  at  the  South.  It  had  been 
attended  with  many  instances  of  individual  bravery 
and  exciting  and  romantic  adventure,  one  of  the 
most  famous  of  which  is  known  as  the  Canoe  Fight, 
of  which  General  Samuel  Dale  was  the  hero.  There 
can  be  no  better  account  of  it  than  Dale's  own,  as 
he  related  it  some  years  afterward  to  his  friend 
Hon.  John  H.  F.  Claiborne,  who  incorporated  it  in 
his  "  Life  of  Dale."     The  General  was  on  his  way, 


iSi3.] 


IV A y^'   IN   THE   SOUTH. 


189 


November  13th,  with  sixty  men,  to  attack  an  Indian 
camp  on  the  east  side  of  the  Alabama,  near  what  is 
now  Dale's  Ferry.      He  says  : 

"  I  put  thirty  of  my  men  on  the  east  bank,  where 
the  path  ran  directly  by  the  river-side.  With 
twenty  men  I  kept  the  western  bank,  and  thus  we 
proceeded  to  Randon's  Landing.  A  dozen  fires 
were  burning,  and  numerous  scaffolds  for  drying 
meat,  denoting  a  large  body  of  Indians  ;  but  none 
were  visible..  About  half  past  ten  A.M.  we  dis- 
cerned a  large  canoe  coming  down  stream.  It  con- 
tained eleven  warriors.  Observing  that  they  were 
about  to  land  at  a  cane-brake  just  above  us,  I 
called  to  my  men  to  follow,  and  dashed  for  the 
cane-brake  with  all  my  might.  Only  seven  of  my 
men  kept  up  wMth  me.  As  the  Indians  were  in  the 
act  of  landing,  we  fired.  Two  leaped  into  the  water. 
Jim  Smith* shot  one  as  he  rose,  and  I  shot  the  other. 
In  the  mean  time  they  had  backed  into  deep  water, 
and  three  Indians  were  swimming  on  the  off  side  of 
the  canoe,  working  her  as  far  from  the  shore  as 
they  could,  to  get  out  of  the  range  of  our  guns. 
The  others  lay  in  the  bottom  of  the  canoe,  which 
was  thirty  odd  feet  long,  four  feet  deep,  and  three 
feet  beam,  made  of  an  immense  cypress-tree,  spe- 
cially for  the  transportation  of  corn.  One  of  the 
warriors  shouted  to  Weathersford  (who  was  in  the 


\\ 


I 


iff 

li-i 


1 


!   : 


■Mi 


:|f 


190 


PV^A'  IN    THE   SOUTH. 


[1813. 


vicinity,  as  it  afterward  appeared,  but  invisible  to 
us),  *  Yos-ta-hah  !  yos-ta-hah  !  '  '  They  are  spoiling 
us.'  This  fellow  was  in  the  water,  his  hands  on 
the  gunwale  of  the  pirogue,  and  as  often  as  he  rose 
to  shout  we  fired,  but  ineffectually.  He  suddenly 
showed  himself  breast-high,  whooping  in  derision, 
and  said,  'Why  don't  you  shoot?'  I  drew  my 
sight  just  between  his  hands,  and  as  he  rose  I 
lodged  a  bullet  in  his  brains.  Their  canoe  then 
floated  down  with  the  current.  I  uidered  my  men 
on  the  east  bank  to  fetch  the  boats.  Six  of  them 
jumped  into  a  canoe,  and  paddled  to  the  Indians, 
when  one  of  them  cried  out,  '  Live  Indians  !  Back 
water,  boys  !  back  water  !  '  and  the  frightened  fel- 
lows paddled  back  whence  they  came.  I  next  or- 
dered Caesar,  a  free  Negro  fellow,  to  bring  a  boat. 
Seeing  him  hesitate,  I  swore  I  wou'd  shoot  him  the 
moment  I  got  across.  He  crossed  a  hurfdred  yards 
below  the  Indians,  and  Jim  Smith,  Jerry  Austill, 
and  myself  got  in.  I  made  Caesar  paddle  within 
forty  paces,  when  all  three  of  us  levelled  our  guns, 
and  all  missed  fire  !  As  the  two  boats  approached, 
one  of  them  hurled  his  scalping-knife  at  me.  It 
pierced  the  boat  through  and  through,  just  grazing 
my  thigh  as  it  passed.  The  next  moment  the 
canoes  came  in  contact.  I  leaped  up,  placing  one 
of  my  feet  in  each  boat.     At  the  same  instant  the 


1813] 


IVA/i  IN    THE   SOUTH. 


191 


foremost  warrior  levelled  his  rifle  at  my  breast.  It 
flashed  in  the  pan.  As  quick  as  lightning,  he 
clubbed  it,  and  aimed  at  me  a  furious  blow,  which 
I  partially  parried,  and,  before  he  could  repeat  it,  I 
shivered  his  skull  with  my  gun.  In  the  mean  time 
an  Indian  had  struck  down  Jerry,  and  was  about  to 
despatch  him,  when  I  broke  my  rifle  over  his  head. 
It  parted  in  two  places.  The  barrel  Jerry  seized, 
and  renewed  the  fight.  The  stock  I  hurled  at  one 
of  the  savages.  Being  then  disarmed,  Caesar  handed 
me  his  musket  and  bayonet. 

•'Finding  myself  unable  to  keep  the  two  canoes 
in  juxtaposition,  I  resolved  to  bring  matters  to  an 
issue,  and  leaped  into  the  Indian  boat.  My  pirogue, 
with  Jerry,  Jim,  and  Ccesar,  floated  off.  Jim  fired, 
and  slightly  wounded  the  Indian  next  to  me.  I 
now  stood  in  the  centre  of  their  canoe  —  two  dead 
at  my  feet  —  a  wounded  savage  in  the  stern,  who 
had  been  snapping  his  piece  at  mc  during  the  fight, 
and  four  powerful  warriors  in  front.  The  first  one 
directed  a  furious  blow  at  me  with  his  rifle  ;  it 
glanced  upon  the  barrel  of  my  musket,  and  I  staved 
the  bayonet  through  his  body.  As  he  fell,  the  next 
one  repeated  the  attack.  A  shot  from  Jerry  Austill 
pierced  his  heart.  Striding  over  them,  the  next 
sprung  at  me  with  his  tomahawk.  1  killed  him 
with  the  bayonet,  and   his  corpse  lay  between  me 


1m 


■  I 


r)- 


d   "(il 


mam 


192 


IV A  A'  IN   THE   SOUTH. 


[1813 


III  I 

4 


F 


and  the  last  of  the  party.  I  knew  him  well  —  Tar- 
cha-chee,  a  noted  wrestler,  and  the  most  famous 
ball-player  of  his  clan.  He  paused  a  moment  in 
expectation  of  my  attack,  but,  finding  me  motion- 
less, he  stepped  backward  to  the  bow  of  the  canoe, 
shook  himself,  gave  the  war-whoop  of  his  tribe,  and 
cried  out,  '  Sam  tholocco  lana  dahmaska,  ia-lanes- 
tJia  —  lipso  —  lipso  —  lanestha.  Big  Sam  !  I  ant  a 
man  —  I avi  comhig  —  come  on!'  As  he  said  this, 
with  a  terrific  yell  he  bounded  over  the  dead  body 
of  his  comrade,  and  directed  a  blow  at  my  head 
with  his  rifle,  which  dislocated  my  left  shoulder.  I 
dashed  \\\v.  bayonet  into  him.  It  glanced  round  his 
ribs,  and  the  point  hitching  to  his  back-bone,  I 
pressed  him  down.  As  I  pulled  the  weapon  out, 
he  put  his  hands  upon  the  sides  of  the  canoe  and 
endeavored  to  rise,  crying  out,  *  Tar-cha-chee  is  a 
man.  He  is  not  afraid  to  die  !  '  I  drove  my  bayo- 
net through  his  heart.  I  then  turned  to  the 
wounded  villain  in  the  stern,  who  snapped  his  rifle 
at  me  as  I  advanced,  and  had  been  snapping  during 
the  whole  conflict.  He  gave  the  Avar-whoop,  and, 
in  tones  of  hatred  and  defiance,  exclaimed,  '  I  am  a 
zuarrior  —  /  am  not  afraid  to  die.'  As  he  uttered 
the  words  I  pinned  him  down  with  my  bayonet, 
and  he  followed  his  eleven  comrades  to  the  land  of 
spirits. 


lij;/);' 


I8i3.] 


IVA/^  IN   THE   SOUTH. 


193 


"  During  this  conflict,  which  was  over  in  ten  min- 
utes, my  brave  companions,  Smith  and  Austill,  had 
been  struggling  with  the  current  of  the  Alabama, 
endeavoring  to  reach  me.  Their  guns  had  become 
useless,  and  their  only  paddle  had  been  broken. 
Two  braver  fellows  never  lived.  Austill's  first  shot 
saved  my  life. 

"  By  this  time  my  men  came  running  down  the 
bank,  shouting  that  Weathersford  was  coming.  With 
our  three  canoes  we  crossed  them  all  over,  and  got 
safely  back  to  the  fort." 


y^ 


Hi 


,3; 

If 

1  -i               I  <■    ■ 

- 

CHAPTER   XI. 

NAVAL   BATTLES   OF    1813. 

The  Hornet  and  the  Peacock — The  Chesapeake  and  the  Shannon — The 
Argus  and  the  Pelican — The  linter/rise  and  the  Boxer — Decatur 
blockaded  at  New  London — A  New  Embargo. 

The  brilliant  victories  achieved  on  the  ocean  in 

18 1 2  reversed  the  opinion  the  Government  had  en- 
tertained as  to  the  value  of  the  navy,  and  early  in 

1813  Congress  authorized  the  building  of  four  ships- 
of-the-line,  six  frigates,  six  sloops-of-war,  and  as 
many  vessels  on  the  lakes  as  the  service  might  re- 
quire. 

But  in  the  second  year  of  the  war  the  American 
sailor  did  not  meet  with  that  uniform  success  which 
in  the  first  year  had  surprised  and  confounded  the 
self-styled  Mistress  of  the  Seas.  One  battle,  in 
which  a  noble  ship  was  lost  and  many  lives  were 
:jacrificed,  through  drunkenness,  was  a  grievous 
mortification  to  the  whole  American  people.  The 
commander  of  the  defeated  vessel  was  fortunate 
in  not  surviving  the  action,  as  he  would  probably 
have  been  court-martialled  and  disgraced. 

The  first  naval  engagement  of  the  year  took  place 
in   West  Indian   waters.     Lieutenant   James    Law- 


!li 


/    I. 


-A 


i 

1 

1 

B 

^l«€*l.. 


fiii 


« i'--^.:^*'* 


m 


\ 


mtr 


mm 


I  if 


i 


li   \ 


I 


:T  *) 


r 

11 
f 
t 
c 
a 
d 

P 
fi 

tl 

ai 

tc 

ni 

h. 

ri 

ni 

hi 

th 

fe 


I 


th 
sc 
mi 

Be 
th 
as 


lil 


I8I3.J 


NAVAL   BATTLES. 


»9S 


rcnce,  in  the  Hornet,  of  twenty  guns,  was  cruising 
up  and  clown  the  coast  of  Guiana,  and  had  taken  a 
few  prizes,  when  on  the  24th  of  February  he  sighted 
the  Englisii  brig  Peacock,  Captain  Peal<e,  which  also 
carried  twenty  guns.  Both  vessels  were  cleared  for 
action,  and  at  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  bore 
down  upon  each  other.  They  passed  within  half 
pistol-shot  ;  and  as  they  passed,  each  delivered  the 
full  broadside  of  the  larboard  battery.  The  Peacock 
then  put  her  helm  hard  up,  intending  to  wear  round 
and  rake  the  Hornet.  But  Lawrence  quickly  imi- 
tated the  movement,  got  the  better  of  his  antago- 
nist, and  with  all  his  guns  blazing  bore  down  upon 
her  quarter.  lie  then  closed,  and  kept  up  so  ter- 
rific a  fire  that  in  fifteen  minutes  from  the  begin- 
ning of  the  action  the  Englishman  not  only  struck 
his  colors,  but  hoisted  them  in  the  fore-rigging  with 
the  union  down  —  which  is  a  signal  of  distress.  A 
few  minutes  later,  the  Peacock's  main-mast  tumbled. 
An  officer  sent  on  board  to  take  possession  found 
that  she  had  six  feet  of  water  in  the  hold,  and  was 
settling  rapidly.  Captain  Peake  and  four  of  his 
men  had  been  killed,  and  thirty-three  wounded. 
Every  effort  was  made  to  save  the  wounded  men. 
Both  vessels  anchored,  for  the  water  here  was  but 
thirty-three  feet  deep.  The  prisoners  were  removed 
as  fast  as  possible,  while,  to  keep  the  Peacock  afloat, 


I 


'  1 

'A 


■  i 


111 


M 


196 


NAVAL   BATTLES. 


[1813. 


M:** 


;;::.;,. 


her  guns  were  thrown  overboard,  the  shot-holes 
plugged,  and  the  pumps  manned  ;  but  in  spite  of 
all  exertions  she  went  down,  carrying  nine  of  her 
own  crew  and  three  of  the  Hornet' s.  Four  of  the 
prisoners  lowered  the  stern  boat,  which  was  sup- 
posed to  be  so  damaged  as  to  be  useless,  and  pad- 
dled ashore  in  it.  Four  others  climbed  into  the 
rigging  of  the  fore-top,  and  as  this  remained  above 
the  surface  when  the  hull  touched  bottom,  they 
were  saved.  On  the  Hornet  one  man  had  been 
killed  and  two  wounded  by  the  enemy's  fire,  and 
her  rigging  was  considerably  damaged. 

As  another  British  war-vessel  was  not  far  away, 
the  Hornet  had  to  be  put  in  fighting  trim  again  with 
all  speed,  which  was  accomplished  within  four  hours 
after  the  action.  As  she  was  crowded  with  prison- 
ers and  was  short  of  water,  she  turned  her  prow 
toward  home,  arriving  at  Martha's  Vineyard  on  the 
the  19th  of  March,  and  proceeding  through  Long 
Island  Sound  to  New  York.  Congress  voted  Law- 
rence a  gold  medal,  and  to  each  of  his  commissioned 
officers  a  silver  one  ;  and  he  was  soon  promoted  to 
the  rank  of  captain,  and  given  command  of  the 
frigate  Chesapeake,  then  lying  in  Boston  harbor. 
The  very  next  naval  battle  was  the  one  in  which 
Lawrence  lost  his  life,  lost  his  ship,  and  lost  a  great 
part  of  his  reputation. 


Ihl: 


1813] 


NAVAL   BATTLES. 


197 


.ong 


Captain  Philip  Bowes  Vcre  Broke,  commanding 
the  British  frigate  Shannon^  of  thirty-eight  guns, 
had  been  cruising  along  the  New  England  coast  for 
some  time,  looking  for  prizes,  and  especially  for  an 
opportunity  to  retrieve  the  honor  of  his  flag  in  an 
encounter  with  some  American  war-ship  of  the  size 
of  his  own.  Lawrence  was  preparing  for  a  cruise 
against  the  English  fleet  engaged  in  the  Greenland 
whale-fishery  ;  but  when  the  Shannon  appeared  in 
the  offing,  June  ist,  he  hastily  got  his  crew  to- 
gether and  went  out  from  Boston  to  fight  her. 

Broke  had  sent  in  to  him  a  letter  containing  a 
formal  challenge  to  try  the  powers  of  the  two 
ships  ;  but  it  did  not  arrive  till  the  CJiesapeake  had 
sailed,  and  Lawrence  never  received  it.  One  sen- 
tence of  this  letter  is  very  significant,  in  that  it  con- 
tains the  whole  germ  of  the  war.  "  I  doubt  not 
that  you,  equally  confident  of  success,  will  feel  con- 
vinced that  it  is  only  by  repeated  triumphs  in  even 
combats  that  your  little  navy  can  now  hope  to  con- 
sole your  country  for  the  loss  of  that  trade  it  can 
no  longer  protect."  That  was  it  exactly.  Ameri- 
can trade,  the  grudge  of  British  merchants,  >^and  the 
constant  object  of  British  hostilities,  was  to  be  per- 
mitted only  so  far  as  American  guns  were  able  to 
protect  it ;  and  since  the  American  navy,  as  Captain 
Broke  said,  was  little,  while  England's  was  large,  it 


U'    i 


mmum 


198 


NAVAL  BATTLES. 


[1813. 


I'i'V 


i^,l';! 


was  confidently  believed  by  his  countrymen  that  this 
protection  would  not  ultimately  amount  to  much. 

At  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  the  vessels  came 
within  cannon-shot  of  each  other,  and  the  Shannon 
opened  fire  at  once.  But  the  Chesapeake  remained 
silent  till  her  whole  broadside  could  be  brought  to 
bear ;  then  she  opened  her  ports,  and  for  eight 
minutes  there  was  a  terrific  and  continuous  roar. 
Now,  as  before,  the  Americans  were  the  better 
gunners,  and  in  this  broadside  firing  the  advantage 
was  with  the  Chesapeake;  but  accident  favored  her 
antagonist  and  gave  him  an  opportunity  to  use  the 
advantages  he  possessed  in  other  respects.  Two 
or  three  shots  that  struck  the  rigging  of  the  Chesa- 
peake rendered  her  for  a  short  time  not  perfectly 
manageable,  and  her  miz.zen-rigging  fouled  in  the 
Shannon  s  fore-chains.  This  exposed  her  to  a  rak- 
ing fire,  and  her  upper  deck  was  swept  at  once  by 
two  of  the  enemy's  guns. 

In  the  broadside  firing.  Captain  Lawrence  had 
been  wounded  in  the  leg,  the  master  was  killed,  the 
first  lieutenant  was  disabled,  and  the  marine  officer, 
the  fourth  lieutenant,  and  the  boatswain  were  mor- 
tally wounded.  So  great  a  proportion  of  officers 
struck  down  was  a  rare  accident.  To  increase  the 
misfortune,  a  Negro  bugler  had  been  substituted  for 
the   drummer,    and   when   Lawrence    ordered    the 


i8i3.] 


NAVAL   BATTLES. 


199 


signal  to  be  sounded  for  boarding,  it  was  found  that 
the  bugleman  had  crawled  under  the  launch,  and 
when  he  was  hauled  out  he  was  still  so  frightened 
that  he  could  not  sound  a  note,  Lawrence  then 
passed  down  verbal  orders  for  the  boarders  to  come 
on  deck,  and  at  this  moment  he  fell,  shot  through 
the  body.  As  he  was  carried  below,  he  exclaimed  : 
"Tell  the  men  to  fire  faster,  and  not  give  up  the 
ship.     Fight  her  till  she  sinks  I  " 

But  it  was  too  late.  The  enemy  were  already  on 
his  deck  in  great  numbers,  and  after  a  short  and 
unorganized  resistance  his  men  were  overcome  and 
his  ship  was  captured.  The  victors  considerably 
increased  the  casualties  by  firing  down  the  hatch- 
ways with  musketry,  in  justification  of  which  it  is 
said  that  some  one  had  fired  up  the  hatch  and  killed 
a  mar'ne. 

The  havoc  in  both  crews  had  been  frightful  for  so 
short  a  battle.  On  the  Shannon,  twenty-four  were 
killed  and  fifty-eight  wounded  ;  on  the  Chesapeake 
forty-seven  were  killed  and  ninety-eight  wounded. 
Nearly  one  third  of  all  the  men  engaged  in  the  ac- 
tion had  been  struck.  Captain  Lawrence  died  in 
four  days.  His  age  was  but  thirty-one.  "He  had 
been  greatly  admired  for  his  personal  bravery,  his 
courteousness,  his  regard  for  the  sailors  under  his 
command,  and  his  wonderful  nautical  skill. 


II  if 


f* 


II 


(  •! 


!•'  ' 


t:i  I'l 


I 


U..J. 


20O 


NAVAL   BATTLES. 


[1813. 


In  explanation  of  this  defeat,  it  is  said  that 
Captain  Broke  had  been  for  weeks  giving  his  men  a 
special  training  for  such  an  encounter  ;  while  the 
Chesapeake  had  a  heterogeneous  crew,  a  part  of  them 
were  new  men,  and  many  of  the  old  ones  were  in 
a  state  of  half  mutiny  from  not  having  received 
prize  money  that  was  due  them.  Some  of  the 
ofificers  were  sick  on  shore,  others  were  inex- 
perienced, and  several  of  the  sailors  were  seen 
drunk  in  the  streets  of  Boston  an  hour  before 
they  were  summoned  to  go  on  board  as  the  ves- 
sel was  weighing  anchor.  These  facts  seem  to 
be  well  established  ;  but  the  explanation  does  not 
make  it  any  the  less  a  British  victory.  If  Broke's 
men  were  under  good  discipline,  while  Lawrence's 
were  not,  he  is  entitled  to  as  much  credit  for  his 
achievement  as  if  it  had  been  accomplished  through 
superior  courage  or  any  other  means.  And  Law- 
rence, had  he  not  died,  might  properly  have  been 
censured,  or  even  punished,  for  going  out  to  fight 
under  such  circumstances,  when  he  could  have 
waited  till  he  had  trained  his  crew.  It  was  also  said 
that  the  sailors  entertained  a  superstitious  belief 
that  the  Chesapeake  was  an  unlucky  ship.  It  was 
she  that  had  been  fired  into  by  the  Leopard,  in  1807, 
when  she  had  not  a  single  gun  in  condition  to  re- 
turn the  shot  ;  and  just  before  her  battle  with  the 


i 


I8I3.] 


NAVAL   BATTLES. 


201 


SJiannon  she  had  cruised  across  the  Atlantic  to  the 
coast  of  Africa,  and  home  again  by  way  of  the 
West  Indies,  without  taking  a  single  prize. 

Broke's  victory  was  a  grateful  salve  to  England's 
pride,  so  sorely  wounded  by  the  naval  events  of 
18 12,  and  her  historians  have  never  tired  of  dwell- 
ing upon  it.  One  of  the  latest  of  them  devotes 
more  than  eight  pages  to  it  alone,  while  he  disposes 
of  all  the  other  sea-fights  of  this  war  in  less  than 
three. 

The  American  brig  Argus,  of  twenty  guns,  com- 
manded by  Captain  William  Henry  Allen,  after 
taking  Hon.  William  H.  Crawford  to  France  as  the 
new  United  States  Minister  at  the  French  court, 
made  a  cruise  in  the  English  and  Irish  channels, 
where  she  captured  twenty  merchantmen.  But  in 
the  evening  of  August  13th  she  had  the  misfortune 
to  capture  a  vessel  loaded  with  wine.  The  crew 
spent  most  of  the  night  in  transferring  the  cargo, 
and  helped  themselves  liberally  to  the  contents  of 
some  of  the  casks.  Just  before  daylight,  when  all 
of  them  were  tired  out  and  many  were  intoxicated, 
they  completed  their  misfortune  by  setting  fire  to 
the  prize. 

By  the  light  of  the  burning  vessel,  the  British 
brig  Pelican,  of  twenty-one  guns,  sighted  the  Argus 
and  bore   down    upon    her.     The   Pelican   got    the 


4; 


"\l- 


'A 


202 


NAVAL   BATTLES. 


[1813. 


m  ii 


=  • 


liiMI 


weather-gage,  and  came  within  close  range.  The 
Argiis  opened  with  a  broadside,  and  for  three  quar- 
ters of  an  hour  the  firing  was  kept  up  on  both  sides 
with  great  spirit.  At  the  end  of  that  time  the 
American  had  lost  her  steering  apparatus  and  most 
of  her  running  rigging,  while  the  enemy  was  lying 
under  her  stern,  firing  at  leisure.  Captain  Allen 
was  mortally  wounded  before  the  fighting  had  been 
going  on  five  minutes,  and  his  first  lieutenant  was 
disabled  a  few  minutes  later.  There  was  now 
nothing  for  the  Argus  but  to  surrender.  She  had 
lost  six  men  killed  and  seventeen  wounded  ;  the 
Pelican,  three  killed  and  five  wounded. 

Early  in  September  the  American  brig  Enterprise, 
of  fourteen  guns,  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Wil- 
liam Burrows,  was  cruising  along  the  coast  of  Maine 
in  search  of  Canadian  privateers,  when,  on  the  5th, 
near  Penguin  Point,  within  sight  of  Portland,  the 
British  brig  Boxer,  of  fourteen  guns,  Captain  Sam- 
uel Blythe,  was  encountered.  Both  vessels  prepared 
for  action,  and  a  few  minutes  past  three  o'clock 
they  had  approached  within  half  pistol-shot,  when 
both  opened  fire.  The  wind  was  hght,  the  sea 
nearly  smooth,  and  the  broadsides  of  the  Enterprise 
were  very  effective.  Burrows  had  mounted  a  long 
gun  in  his  poop-cabin,  running  it  out  of  a  window, 
and  after  the  first  broadside  he  drew  ahead,  sheered 


!>!Mlihillli 


i8i3.] 


NAVAL  BATTLES. 


203 


across  the  enemy's  bow,  and  raked  him  with  this 
gun.  This  was  repeated,  with  other  skilful  manoeu- 
vres, and  in  forty  minutes  the  Boxer,  being  hailed, 
said  she  was  ready  to  surrender,  but  could  not  haul 
down  her  colors,  because  they  were  nailed  to  the 
mast. 

One  of  her  officers  is  said  to  have  sprung  upon  a 
gun,  shaken  his  fiists  at  the  Americans,  in  a  fearful 
state  of  excitement,  and  shouted  "  No  !  no  !  no  !  " 
adding  a  few  opprobrious  epithets,  when  a  superior 
officer  ordered  him  down.  This  exhibition,  to- 
gether with  the  ridiculous  fact  that  a  ship  with  her 
colors  nailed  was  trying  to  surrender,  brought  a 
hearty  laugh  from  the  American  crew,  notwith- 
standing the  shattered  spars  and  bloody  decks. 

The  Enterprise  immediately  ceased  firing,  and 
took  possession  of  the  prize.  The  American  vessel 
had  suffered  very  little  injury,  though  her  hull  was 
peppered  with  grapeshot,  a  ball  had  passed  through 
her  foremast  and  one  through  her  mainmast,  and 
her  upper  rigging  was  considerably  cut.  She  had 
lost  one  man  killed  and  thirteen  wounded,  three  of 
them  mortally.  The  Boxer  had  been  hulled  repeat- 
edly, three  balls  had  passed  through  her  foremast, 
some  of  her  guns  were  dismounted,  her  top-gallant 
forecastle  was  cut  away,  and  her  rigging  badly  in- 
jured.    The  number  of  her  men  that  were  killed 


r\ 


i  ■■ 


204 


NAVAL  BATTLES. 


[1813. 


has  never  been  ascertained  ;  fourteen  were  wounded. 
The  commanders  of  the  two  vessels  both  fell,  al- 
most at  the  same  moment  :  Blythe  cut  in  two  by 
an  eighteen-pound  ball.  Burrows  mortally  wounded 
by  a  canister-shot.  They  were  buried  side  by  side 
in  Portland,  with  the  honors  of  war. 

The  poet  Longfellow,  who  at  that  time  was  in  his 
seventh  year  and  lived  in  Portland,  alludes  to  this 
battle  in  his  poem  entitled  "  My  Lost  Youth." 


r.t| 


'!!  :i 


"  I  remember  the  sea-fight  far  away, 
How  it  thundered  o'er  the  tide  ! 
And  the  dead  captains,  as  they  lay 
In  their  graves,  o'erlooking  the  tranquil  bay 
Where  they  in  battle  died. 

And  the  sound  of  that  mournful  song 
"        Goes  through  me  with  a  thrill : 
'  A  boy's  will  is  the  wind's  will, 
A  id  the  thoughts  of  youth  are  long,  long  thoughts.' " 

On  the  day  when  the  Chesapeake  was  captured 
by  the  Shannon.,  three  American  war-vessels,  under 
Commodore  Decatur  —  the  United  States,  the  Mace- 
donian, and  the  Hornet — were  driven  into  the  har- 
bor of  New  London,  Conn.,  by  a  superior  force  of 
British  ships,  and  so  rigorously  was  the  blockade  of 
the  port  kept  up,  that  not  one  of  the  three  got  to 
sea  again  during  the  war.  At  the  same  time  the 
land  defences,  manned  by  Connecticut  militia,  pre 


T     ^:' 


1813.] 


NAVAL   BATTLES. 


80s 


vented  the  blockading  squadron  from  entering  the 
harbor  to  attack  them.  Decatur  made  many  at- 
tempts to  get  out  with  his  fleet,  but  was  always 
frustrated  by  the  vigilance  of  the  blockaders,  which 
he  believed  was  assisted  by  traitors  on  shore.  He 
declared  that  whenever  he  planned  an  escape,  the 
enemy  were  warned  of  his  intention  by  blue  lights 
burned  at  the  mouth  of  the  harbor  ;  and  from  this 
circumstance  the  opprobrious  name  of  **  Blue- 
Lights "  was  applied  to  the  Federal  party,  which 
had  opposed  the  war.  It  is  not  unlikely  that  some- 
thing of  this  sort  was  done,  either  by  traitors  or  by 
spies  in  the  employ  of  the  blockaders  ;  but  that  the 
Federal  party  of  Connecticut  had  anything  to  do 
with  it  is  sufficiently  refuted  by  the  fact  that  the 
Connecticut  militia,  largely  Federalists,  not  only 
protected  Decatur's  vessels  when  they  might  have 
permitted  them  to  be  captured,  but  rendered  some 
distinguished  services  before  the  war  was  over,  es- 
pecially in  the  gallant  defence  of  Stonington.  Still 
the  Federalists  continued  to  oppose  the  war,  though 
in  a  hopeless  minority  as  to  the  whole  country,  and. 
like  all  parties  out  of  power,  sharply  and  unceas- 
ingly criticised  the  Administration.  Their  criti- 
cisms, too,  were  sometimes  based  on  pretty  strong 
facts,  as,  for  instance,  when  they  ridiculed  the  idea 
that  it  was  a  war  for  sailors'  rights,  by  quoting  an 


!lti 


206 


NAVAL  BATTLES. 


[1813. 


:  W 

1:  M 


"■-lis 

1    '-        iL^'Sil 


in 


i 


ini'iH 


official  circular  to  collectors  of  customs  which  for- 
bade them  to  grant  protections  to  Negro  sailors. 
Even  thus  early  were  some  of  our  politicians  imbued 
with  the  notion  that  the  color  of  a  man's  skin  must 
necessarily  make  a  vast  difference  with  his  rights 
under  the  government  for  which  he  paid  taxes  and 
bore  arms. 

The  freedom  of  the  Massachusetts  coast  from 
blockade  was  a  source  of  irritation  to  the  more 
southerly  States  ;  and  when  in  December,  1813,  the 
President  complained  to  Congress  that  supplies 
were  furnished  to  British  cruisers,  and  other  contra- 
band trade  was  carried  on  through  the  ports  of  the 
Bay  State,  Congress  laid  a  new  embargo  on  the  ex- 
portation, either  by  land  or  water,  of  any  goods, 
produce,  live  stock,  or  specie.  A  similar  embargo 
bill  had  passed  the  House  of  Representatives  in 
July,  but  was  then  defeated  in  the  Senate. 

Up  to  the  close  of  18 13,  the  English  had  cap- 
tured from  the  Americans  seven  vessels  of  war, 
mounting  one  hundred  and  nineteen  guns.  In  the 
same  time,  the  Americans  had  captured  from  the 
English  twenty  six  vessels  of  war,  mounting  five 
hundred  and  sixty  guns. 


CHAPTER   XII. 


PRIVATEERS. 

'I'licir  Number  and  Importance — Jefferson's  Opinion  of  them — A 
London  Journal's  Prediction — Some  of  their  Captures,  and  some 
of  their  Battles — The  Yankee's  Laughable  Exploit. 

In  the  naval  operations  of  this,  as  of  the  preced- 
ing year,  privateers  played  an  important  part.  A 
large  number  had  been  commissioned  ;  during  the 
entire  war,  the  whole  number  set  afloat  was  two 
hundred  and  fifty-one.  Fifty-eight  of  these  be- 
longed in  the  port  of  Baltimore,  fifty-five  in  New 
York,  forty  in  Salem,  Mass.,  thirty-one  in  Boston, 
fourteen  in  Philadelphia,  eleven  in  Portsmouth, 
N.  H.,  and  ten  in  Charleston,  S.  C. 

These  vessels  were  commonly  small,  or  of  moder- 
ate size,  and  were  swift  sailers.  They  carried  a  few 
broadside  guns  ;  but  the  peculiar  feature  of  their 
armament  was  a  long  gun,  generally  an  eighteen- 
pounder,  mounted  on  the  deck  and  turning  on  a 
swivel,  so  that  it  could  be  instantly  pointed  in  any 
direction,  no  matter  what  might  be  the  position  of 
the  vessel.     This  gun  was  called  Long  Tom. 

These    privateers    not    only   captured    merchant 


Si'   : 


2o8 


PRIVA  TEE  US. 


M 


[1813. 


h\  n^ 


w  11 

'y   ! 


1'    -III 
Ma 


M' 


liii!; 


If? 


ships,  but  even  fought  with  the  smaller  naval  ves- 
sels of  the  enemy,  and  sometimes  conquered  them. 
And  they  often  had  a  double  character,  taking  car- 
goes of  merchandise  for  distant  ports  and  at  the 
same  time  being  ready  to  fight  on  the  way. 

There  was  in  18 12,  as  there  has  been  since,  more 
or  less  sentimental  objection  to  privateering,  which 
had  come  down  from  the  days  when  privateers  and 
pirates  were  the  same.  The  argument  in  favor  of 
the  system  was  set  forth  with  great  clearness  by 
Thomas  Jefferson,  in  an  article  published  about  a 
month  after  the  war  began.     He  said  : 

"What  is  war?  It  is  simply  a  contest  between 
nations  of  trying  which  can  do  the  other  the  most 
harm.  Who  carries  on  the  war  ?  Armies  are  formed 
and  navies  manned  by  individuals.  How  is  a  battle 
gained  ?  By  the  death  of  individuals.  What  pro- 
duces peace  ?  The  distress  of  individuals.  What 
difference  to  the  sufferer  is  it  that  his  property  is 
taken  by  a  national  or  private  armed  vessel  ?  Did 
our  merchants,  who  have  lost  nine  hundred  and 
seventeen  vessels  by  British  captures,  feel  any  grati- 
fication that  the  most  of  them  were  taken  by  his 
Majesty's  men-of-war?  Were  the  spoils  less  rigidly 
exacted  by  a  seventy-four-gun  ship  than  by  a  priva- 
teer of  four  guns  ?  and  were  not  all  equally  con- 
demned ?     War,  whether  on  land  or  sea,  is  consti- 


i8i3.] 


rKlVATEEKS. 


209 


tilted  of  acts  of  Violence  on  the  persons  and  prop- 
erty of  individuals  ;  and  excess  of  violence  is  the 
l^^rand  cause  that  brings  about  a  peace.  One  man 
lij^hts  for  wages  paid  him  by  the  Government,  or 
;i  patriotic  zeal  for  the  defence  of  his  country  ; 
another,  duly  authorized,  and  giving  the  proper 
pledges  for  good  conduct,  undertakes  to  pay  him- 
self at  the  expense  of  the  foe,  and  serve  his  country 
as  effectually  as  the  former,  and  Government,  draw- 
ing all  its  supplies  from  the  people,  is  in  reality  as 
much  aiiccted  by  the  losses  of  the  one  as  the  other, 
the  efificacy  of  its  measures  depending  upon  the 
energies  and  resources  of  the  whole. 

'*  In  the  United  States,  every  possible  encourage- 
ment should  be  given  to  privateering  in  time  of  war 
with  a  commercial  nation.  We  have  tens  of  thou- 
sands of  seamen  that  without  it  would  be  destitute 
of  the  means  of  support,  and  useless  to  their  coun- 
try. Our  national  ships  are  too  few  to  give  em- 
ployment to  a  twentieth  part  of  them,  or  retaliate 
the  acts  of  the  enemy.  But  by  licensing  private 
armed  vessels,  the  whole  naval  force  of  the  nation 
is  truly  brought  to  bear  on  the  foe  ;  and  while  the 
contest  lasts,  that  it  may  have  the  speedier  termi- 
nation, let  every  individual  contribute  his  mite,  in 
the  best  way  he  can,  to  distress  and  harass  the 
enemy  and  compel  him  to  peace." 


% 


t  ?. 


2IO 


PRIVA  TEERS. 


[1813. 


I   iU 


i  %^ 


The  truth  is,  privateering  is  the  most  merciful 
part  of  war  ;  for  it  damages  the  enemy  by  capturing 
property  rather  than  by  destroying  life,  and  in  so 
doing  it  throws  the  immediate  burden  upon  the 
commercial  community  behind  the  armies,  who 
have  to  a  large  extent  the  power  of  making  war  and 
peace  without  personal  risk  to  themselves,  and  often 
exhibit  a  willingness  to  sacrifice  the  lives  of  soldiers 
with  the  greatest  freedom,  so  long  as  their  own 
property  is  secure.  Show  them  that  their  property 
is  not  secure  in  war,  and  you  give  them  a  strong 
motive  for  making  peace.  In  modern  times,  the 
men  who  are  to  risk  their  lives  if  war  arises,  gener- 
ally have  little  to  say  on  the  question  whether 
there  shall  be  a  war  ;  while  those  who  are  to  risk 
their  ships  and  cargoes,  often  have  a  determining 
voice.  The  greater  that  risk,  the  less  the  probabil- 
ity of  war. 

When  the  great  powers  of  Europe  drew  up  and 
signed  the  Treaty  of  Paris  in  1856,  they  abolished 
privateering,  so  far  as  they  were  concerned.  The 
lesser  powers  of  Europe,  and  some  of  those  on  this 
continent,  accepted  the  general  invitation  to  join  in 
the  treaty.  The  United  States  Government  replied 
that  it  would  join  in  it,  provided  a  clause  were  in- 
serted to  the  effect  that  private  property  on  the 
high  seas,  if  not  contraband  of  war,  should  be  ex- 


l8t3.] 


PRIVATEERS. 


an 


empt  from  seizure  not  only  by  privateers  but  by  the 
public  armed  vessels  of  an  enemy.  The  great  pow- 
ers that  originally  made  the  treaty  refused  to  insert 
any  such  clause  ;  thereby  confessing  that  their  ob- 
ject was  not  to  exempt  private  property  from  the 
burdens  and  derangements  of  war,  but  merely  to 
control  the  mode  of  its  seizure,  and  to  secure  for 
themselves  with  their  large  navies  an  advantage 
over  nations  that  in  time  of  peace  have  small  navies 
or  none  at  all.  So  the  United  States  retains  to  this 
day  her  right  to  send  out  privateers  if  she  becomes 
involved  in  war  with  any  maritime  people. 

One  at  least  of  the  London  journals,  the  States- 
man,  foresaw  the  danger  from  privateers  in  1812. 
When  war  was  threatened,  it  said  :  "  America  can- 
not certainly  pretend  to  wage  a  maritime  war 
with  us.  She  has  no  navy  to  do  it  with.  But 
America  has  nearly  a  hundred  thousand  as  good 
seamen  as  any  in  the  world,  all  of  whom  would  be 
actively  employed  against  our  trade  on  every  part 
of  the  ocean,  in  their  fast-sailing  ships  of  war,  many 
of  which  will  be  able  to  cope  with  our  small  cruis- 
ers ;  and  they  will  be  found  to  be  sweeping  the 
West  India  seas,  and  even  carrying  desolatiqn  into 
the  chops  of  the  Channel." 

All  this,  and  more,  the  two  hundred  and  fifty  pri- 
vateers accomplished.     They  cruised  in  every  sea, 


it 
M 


1  i\i 


w 


'^  &, 


•ft^ 


■.t".; 


212 


PRIVATEERS. 


[1813. 


m 


and  wrought  such  havoc  with  British  commerce  as 
had  never  been  known  before.  Coggeshall's  history 
of  the  service  enumerates  about  fifteen  hundred 
prizes  taken  by  them  in  the  two  and  a  half  years  of 
war,  and  these  were  not  all  of  the  captures  by  pri- 
vateers alone  ;  while  the  government  war-vessels, 
in  their  cruises,  added  considerably  to  the  number. 
The  fortunes  of  the  privateers  were  of  the  most 
varied  kind.  Some  of  them  made  long  cruises  with- 
out falling  in  with  a  single  British  merchantman  of 
which  they  could  make  a  prize.  Others  took  enough 
to  enrich  every  man  of  the  crew.  The  Surprise,  of 
Baltimore,  took  twenty  in  a  single  month.  The 
True-Blooded  Yankee  was  one  of  the  most  daring 
and  most  fortunate.  On  one  cruise  she  took  twenty- 
seven  prizes  in  thirty-seven  days.  On  the  same 
cruise  she  captured  a  small  island  on  the  coast  of 
Ireland,  and  held  possession  of  it  for  six  days.  She 
also  took  a  small  seaport  town  of  Scotland,  and 
burned  seven  vessels  in  the  harbor.  A  partial  list 
of  the  spoils  with  which  she  was  laden  when  she 
arrived  in  a  French  port,  will  give  some  idea  of  the 
business.  She  had  eighteen  bales  of  Turkish  car- 
pets, forty-three  bales  of  raw  silk,  weighing  six 
tons,  twenty  boxes  of  gums,  twenty-four  packs  of 
beaver  skins,  one  hundred  and  sixty  dozen  swan 
skins,  forty-six  packs  of  other  skins,  a  hundred  and 


i8i3.] 


PRIVATEERS. 


213 


ninety  hides,  a  quantity  of  copper,  and  various 
other  articles. 

The  York,  of  Baltimore,  after  cruising  on  the 
coast  of  Brazil  and  through  the  West  Indies,  re- 
turned home  with  prizes  valued  at  $1,500,000. 

The  Snapdragon,  of  Newbern,  N.  C,  captured  a 
brig  with  a  cargo,  mainly  dry  goods,  worth  half  a 
million  dollars,  and  got  safely  into  port  with  her. 

The  Saucy  J  k,  of  Charleston,  took  the  ship 
Mentor,  with  a  cargo  valued  at  $300,000,  and  sent 
her  into  New  Orleans  ;  and  a  short  time  afterward 
the  same  privateer  took  a  brig  with  $60,000  worth 
of  dry  goods. 

The  Yatikce,  in  a  cruise  of  a  hundred  and  fifty 
days,  scoured  the  whole  western  coast  of  Africa, 
taking  eight  prizes,  and  came  home  with  thirty-two 
bales  of  fine  goods,  six  tons  of  ivory,  and  $40,000 
in  gold  dust  ;  all  together  worth  nearly  $300,000. 

The  Leo,  of  Baltimore,  captured  an  East  India- 
man  worth  two  and  a  half  million  dollars,  which 
was  recaptured  by  an  English  sloop-of-war,  though 
not  till  the  Leo  had  taken  off  $60,000  in  bullion. 

The  Governor  Tompkins,  of  New  York,  near  the 
Madeira  Islands  captured  the  Nereid,  with  an  as- 
sorted cargo  valued  at  $375,000. 

The  St,  I^awrcnee,  with  a  cargo  valued  at  over 
$300,000,  was  captured  and  sent  into  Portsmouth, 


214 


PRIVATEERS. 


[1813. 


I  v4 


N.  H.,  where  she  was  proved  to  be  an  English  ves- 
sel, and  condemned,  though  she  had  professed  to 
be  American. 

Perhaps  the  most  valuable  single  prize  taken  in 
the  war  was  the  Queen,  captured  by  the  General 
Arinstro7tg,  of  New  York.  She  carried  sixteen  guns, 
and  was  not  taken  without  a  stubborn  fight,  in  which 
her  captain,  first  lieutenant,  and  nine  men  were 
killed.  She  was  valued  at  nearly  $500,000,  but  on 
A.er  way  mto  port  was  wrecked  off  Nantucket. 

One  prize  contained  wine  and  raisins  valued  at 
$75,000  ;  another,  $70,000  worth  of  cotton  ;  an- 
other, $20,000  worth  of  indigo  ;  another,  seven 
hundred  tons  of  mahogany  ;  another  $70,000  worth 
of  rum  and  sugar  ;  another,  $150,000  worth  of  gums, 
almonds,  and  beeswax  ;  another,  $23,000  in  specie, 
and  still  another,  $80,000  in  specie. 

All  this  looks  very  much  like  robbery,  and  in 
truth  it  was  robbery,  unless  the  war,  on  the  part  of 
the  Americans,  was  justifiable.  But  it  is  certainly 
more  humane  to  conquer  the  enemy  by  robbing  his 
merchants  than  by  killing  his  men  ;  and  there  can 
be  no  question  that  the  exploits  of  these  privateers 
did  more  to  bring  the  war  between  England  and 
the  United  States  to  an  end,  and  prevent  another 
one,  than  drawn  battles,  however  gallantly  fought, 
and  futile  expeditions  against  Canada. 


i8i3.] 


PRIVA  TEE  US. 


215 


But  the  exploits  of  the  privateers  did  not  consist 
solely  in  plundering  unarmed  merchantmen.  They 
were  often  pursued  and  attacked  by  British  men-of- 
war,  and  some  of  the  English  packet-ships  carried 
heavy  guns,  and  would  not  surrender  vvithout  a 
desperate  fight. 

The  privateer  schooner  Govcrttor  Tompkins,  a  few 
days  after  the  capture  of  the  Nereid  in  December, 
18 1 2,  gave  chase  to  what  appeared  to  be  a  large 
merchantman.  But  she  proved  to  be  a  frigate  in 
disguise,  and  a  sudden  squall  sent  the  schooner 
under  her  guns  before  she  could  change  her  course. 
The  frigate  opened  fire  at  once,  and  her  first  broad- 
side killed  two  men  and  wounded  six.  It  also  blew 
up  a  box  of  cartridges  and  set  fire  to  some  pistols 
and  tube-boxes  in  the  companion-way,  all  of  which 
exploded  and  went  flying  in  every  direction.  The 
schooner's  little  battery  returned  the  fire,  but  her 
principal  exertions  were  to  get  out  of  the  way  of 
her  powerful  antagonist.  A  chase  of  two  hours  en- 
sued, during  most  of  which  time  the  vessels  were 
within  gunshot  and  the  firing  was  kept  up.  The 
Tompkins  threw  overboard  all  the  lumber  from  the 
deck,  and  two  thousand  pounds  of  shot,  and  got 
out  her  sweeps,  and  so  escaped.  Her  captain, 
Nathaniel  Shaler,  said  in  a  letter  describing  the  ac- 
tion :   "  The  name  of  one  of  my  poor  fellows  who 


'HI 


V  i 


it  r 


iil^i 


2l6 


PRIVATEERS. 


[1813. 


was  killed  ought  to  be  registered  on  the  book  of 
fame,  and  remembered  with  reverence  as  long  as 
bravery  is  considered  a  virtue.  He  was  a  black 
man,  by  the  name  of  John  Johnson.  A  twenty-four- 
pound  shot  struck  him  in  the  hip,  and  took  away 
all  the  lower  part  of  his  body.  In  this  state  the 
poor,  brave  fellow  lay  on  the  deck  and  several  times 
exclaimed  to  his  shipmates,  *  Fire  away,  boys ! 
neber  haul  de  color  down  !  '  The  other  was  also  a 
black  man,  by  the  name  of  John  Davis,  and  was 
struck  in  much  the  same  way.  He  fell  near  me, 
and  several  times  requested  to  be  thrown  overboard, 
saying  he  was  only  in  the  way  of  the  others." 

Captain  Boyle,  in  the  privateer  Comet,  of  Balti- 
more, made  a  remarkable  cruise,  early  in  181 3,  on 
the  coast  of  Brazil  and  in  the  West  Indies.  On  the 
14th  of  January  he  overhauled  a  Portuguese  brig-of- 
war  which  was  convo3nng  three  English  merchant- 
men—  a  ship  and  two  brigs  —  from  Pernambuco. 
Boyle  informed  the  captain  that  he  had  no  right  to 
do  anything  of  the  sort,  and  that  he  should  pro- 
ceed to  make  prizes  of  them.  As  the  man-of-war 
insisted  on  protecting  them,  there  was  a  fight  —  one 
vessel  against  four,  for  the  merchantmen  were 
heavily  armed.  It  began  at  half  past  eight  o'clock 
in  the  evening,  and  was  carried  on  by  moonlight. 
Every  vessel  had  on  a  crowd  of  canvas.     The  Comet 


l!!i   !liu 


iSi3.] 


PRIVA  TEERS. 


217 


ran  alongside  the  ship  and  one  of  the  brigs,  and 
opened  her  broadside  upon  both  of  them.  The 
man-of-war  then  fired  grape  and  round  shot  into 
the  Comet,  which  returned  the  compHmcnt,  but 
stuck  close  to  the  merchantmen.  They  frequently 
separated,  to  give  the  man-of-war  a  chance  at  the 
privateer,  when  the  privateer  would  pour  a  whole 
broadside  into  them,  and  then  turn  his  attention  to 
the  larger  antagonist.  An  hour  after  midnight,  the 
ship,  which  had  been  badly  cut  to  pieces  and  ren- 
dered unmanageable,  struck  her  flag ;  and  soon 
afterward  the  two  brigs,  which  had  been  almost  as 
badly  damaged,  surrendered.  All  this  while  the 
man-of-war  was  hovering  near  and  exchanging  oc- 
casional broadsides  with  the  Comet,  till  the  moon 
set,  and  it  became  dark  and  squally.  One  of  the 
brigs  had  been  taken  possession  of  by  Boyle  ;  the 
other  and  the  ship,  assisted  by  the  man-of-war, 
escaped  him  and  made  their  way  back  to  Pcrnam- 
buco.  On  the  man-of-war  the  first  lieutenant  and 
five  men  were  killed,  and  several  wounded,  the  cap- 
tain mortally. 

On  the  25th  of  the  same  month,  the  privateer 
Dolphin,  Captain  W.  S.  Stafford,  cruising  off  the 
coasts  of  Spain  and  Portugal,  fell  in  witli  a  large 
ship  and  a  brig,  and  fought  them  both.  The  pri- 
vateer carried  ten  guns,  the  ship   sixteen,  and  the 


\ 


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<■  I 


b 


1 


'1(1 


^i. 


:;i 


,:. 


m  \ 


i!    5! 

.  \   - 

ih! 


f  ji 


•'i 


218 


PRIVATEERS. 


[1813. 


-t:    ,.' 


I 
I 

I 

1 

■  I'll     .l!;'I'l!riBI! 

■I  ill  ill 

;:    .1        I 


III 


brig  ten.  After  a  spirited  action,  in  which  the  Dol- 
phin lost  four  men,  she  captured  both  of  them,  and 
sent  them  home  to  Baltimore.  The  same  privateer, 
in  November,  was  attacked  just  outside  of  Charles- 
ton harbor  by  five  boats  from  an  English  man-of- 
war.  Captain  Stafford  tore  one  of  the  boats  to 
pieces  by  a  discharge  of  grape-shot,  and  as  the  other 
boats  had  employment  enough  in  saving  their  un- 
fortunate comrades,  the  attack  failed.  The  man- 
of-war  then  fired  a  broadside  at  the  Dolphin  and 
sailed  away. 

The  privateer  Lottery,  Captain  Southcomb,  while 
at  anchor  in  Chesapeake  Bay,  February  1 5th,  was 
captured  by  nine  British  barges,  in  which  were  two 
hundred  and  forty  men  ;  but  not  till  after  a  fight  of 
arj  hour  and  a  half,  in  which  the  six  guns  of  the 
Lottery  had  made  sickening  havoc  with  the  men  in 
the  crowded  barges.  Captain  Southcomb  was  badly 
wounded. 

On  the  nth  of  March  the  privateer  General  Arm- 
strong, Captain  Guy  R.  Champlin,  of  New  York,  en- 
countered, off  Surinam,  what  she  supposed  to  be  an 
English  privateer.  The  Arvtstronghoxo.  down  upon 
her,  fired  the  starboard  broadside,  wore  ship  and 
gave  her  the  larboard  broadside,  and  was  then  about 
to  attempt  boarding,  but  found  out  that  the  enemy 
was  a  frigate,  carrying  twenty-four  guns.     The  bat- 


ii;  I  ^\ 


i8i3.] 


PRIVA  TEERS. 


219 


tie  lasted  three  quarters  of  an  hour,  when  the  Arm- 
strong succeeded  in  getting  away.  Captain  Champ- 
lin,  badly  wounded,  lay  on  the  cabin  floor,  directly 
over  the  magazine,  with  a  pistol  in  his  hand,  when 
he  overheard  some  talk  about  striking  the  colors. 
He  immediately  ordered  the  surgeon  to  go  on  deck 
and  tell  the  men  that  if  any  one  of  them  dared  to 
strike  the  colors,  he  would  discharge  his  pistol  into 
the  magazine  and  blow  them  all  up  together.  In 
his  log-book  he  wrote  :  "In  this  action  we  had  six 
men  killed  and  sixteen  wounded,  and  all  the  hal- 
yards of  the  headsails  shot  away  ;  the  fore-mast  and 
bowsprit  one  quarter  cut  through,  and  all  the  fore 
and  main  shrouds  but  one  shot  away  ;  both  main- 
stays and  running  rigging  cut  to  pieces  ;  a  great 
number  of  shot  through  our  sails,  and  several  be- 
tween wind  and  water,  which  caused  our  vessel  to 
leak.  There  were  also  a  number  of  shot  in  our 
hull." 

The  privateer  Young  Teaser  met  a  singular  fate. 
In  June  she  was  chased  by  a  British  man-of-war. 
Her  lieutenant  had  been  once  captured,  and  re- 
leased on  parole,  and  had  gone  into  the  service 
again  without  waiting  to  be  exchanged.  When  he 
saw  a  probability  of  another  capture^  he  seized  a 
firebrand  and  ran  into'  the  cabin,  and  in  another 
moment  the   vessel  was  blown   to    fragments,   and 


I    I 


1 


;5  t 


I 


♦>l 


1!  U I 


220 


PRIVATEERS. 


[1813. 


every  man  on  board  perished,  except  seven  sailors 
who  were  standing  on  the  forecastle. 

The  privateer  Wcysp,  carrying  two  guns,  had  a 
battle  of  nine  hours'  duration,  on  the  31st  of  July, 
with  the  British  war-schooner  Bream,  of  ten  guns. 
For  the  last  forty-five  minutes  the  action  was  at 
close  quarters,  and  the  IVas/f  then  surrendered. 

In  August  the  privateer  Decatur,  carrying  seven 
guns,  Captain  Dominique  Diron,  was  cruising  in 
the  track  of  West  India  traders,  when  on  the  5th 
she  encountered  the  English  war-schooner  Z?^/«/;2z^rtr, 
of  sixteen  guns,  and  after  a  bloody  battle  captured 
her.  It  was  at  first  a  running  fight,  the  Dominica 
firing  frequent  broadsides,  and  the  Decatur  answer- 
ing with  her  Long  Tom  and  volleys  of  musketry. 
After  several  futile  attempts  to  board,  Captain 
Diron  succeeded  in  forcing  his  bowsprit  over  the 
enemy's  stern,  and  sending  the  jib-boom  through 
her  mainsail.  The  next  moment,  while  a  part  of 
his  crew  kept  up  the  musketry  fire,  the  remainder 
rushed  on  board  the  Dominica,  and  a  hand-to-hand 
slaughter  at  once  began.  Men  were  cut  down  with 
swords,  and  shot  with  pistols,  till  the  deck  was  cov- 
ered with  the  dead  and  wounded.  The  English  crew 
did  not  surrender  till  their  captain,  G.  W.  Barrettc, 
was  killed,  all  the  other  officers  except  the  surgeon 
and  one  midshipman  either  killed  or  wounded,  and 


'.  ,1 


I813.J 


PRIVA  TEERS. 


221 


igh 


of 

nder 

and 

with 

cov- 

crew 

rcttc, 

rgeon 

i,  and 


altogether  sixty  men  disabled.  Of  the  Dirafurs 
men,  five  were  killed  and  fifteen  wounded. 

The  Globe  privateer  had  a  desperate  fight,  on  the 
3d  of  November,  with  two  heavily  armed  packet 
brigs.  Broadside  after  broadside  was  exchanged  at 
the  distance  of  a  few  yards,  and  the  brigs  were 
compelled  to  strike.  But  when  the  Globe  hauled 
alongside  to  take  possession  of  one  of  them,  she 
raised  her  colors  again  and  fired  a  broadside  ;  after 
which  both  brigs  sailed  slowly  away,  while  tne  Globe, 
which  had  lost  twenty-three  men,  was  too  badly 
crippled  to  follow. 

The  privateer  Saratoga,  of  four  guns,  captured 
the  English  mail  packet  Morgiana,  which  carried 
eighteen  guns,  by  boarding.  There  was  an  obsti- 
nate defence,  and  two  of  the  packet's  men  were 
killed  and  five  wounded,  while  the  Saratoga  lost 
three  killed  and  seven  wounded.  During  the  fight 
the  mail  was  thrown  overboard. 

Near  the  Canary  Islands  a  British  sloop-of-war 
decoyed  the  privateer  Grampus  under  her  guns,  and 
then  suddenly  opened  her  ports  and  gave  her  a 
whole  broadside  at  half  pistol-shot.  This  discharge 
killed  the  captain  and  one  man  and  wounded  sev- 
eral others,  and  damaged  the  rigging  badly,  so  that 
the  Grampus  escaped  with  difficulty. 

On  Monday,  the  5th  of  July,  the  Yankee,  a  fishing- 


i 


222 


PKIVA  TEEKS. 


Ii8i3. 


m 


"I 


smack,  was  fitted  out  in  New  York  haibor  to  cap- 
ture by  stratagem  the  British  sloop-of-war  Eagle. 
A  calf,  a  sheep,  a  goose,  and  three  fishermen  were 
placed  conspicuously  on  the  deck,  while  below  were 
concealed  forty  men  armed  with  muskets.  She 
then  sailed  down  the  bay.  The  Eagle  overhauled 
her,  and  ordered  her  to  report  to  the  Commodore. 
Suddenly,  at  the  signal  word  "Lawrence,"  the 
forty  men  appeared,  levelled  their  muskets  across 
the  deck  of  the  Eagle,  and  with  one  volley  killed 
three  of  her  men  and  drove  the  others  below.  She 
struck  without  firing  a  gun,  and  as  she  was  taken 
up  the  harbor  she  was  greeted  by  the  cheers  of  a 
multitude  of  people  who  were  on  the  Battery,  cele- 
brating Independence  day. 

While  an  American  fishing-smack  was  thus  cap- 
turing a  British  sloop-of-war  in  the  harbor  of  New 
York,  on  the  other  side  of  the  ocean  the  London 
Evening  Star  was  just  saying:  "The  American 
navy  must  be  annihilated  ;  her  arsenals  and  dock- 
yards consumed.  The  American  merchant-vessels 
ought  perhaps  to  be  permitted  to  arm  against  the 
pirates  of  the  Mediterranean  or  the  Ladrones  of 
China  ;  but,  like  certain  places  of  entertainment  in 
England,  they  ought  to  be  compelled  to  exhibit  in 
large  letters,  on  their  main-sails,  Licensed  to  carry 
guns,  pursuant  to  a  British  act  of  Parliament .'* 


m 

1 


l:H:s 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

PEACE     NEGOTIATIONS. — CAMPAIGN     ACArNST     THE 

CREEKS. 

Condition  of  Affairs  at  the  Opening  of  the  Third  Year — Congressional 
Appropriations- Russian  Offers  of  Mediation — Jackson's  Prepara- 
tions— Battles  of  Emucfau,  Enotachopco,  and  Horseshoe  Bend. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  third  year  of  the  war 
the  prospects  of  the  Americans  were  more  discour- 
aging than  at  any  previous  period.  The  European 
wars  had  come  to  an  end  for  the  time,  Napoleon 
having  been  overthrown  at  Leipsic,  and  Great  Brit- 
ain, with  an  immense  navy  and  an  abundance  of 
veteran  troops,  was  at  Hberty  to  turn  her  entire  at- 
tention upon  the  enemy  across  the  Atlantic.  In- 
deed, her  fleet  on  our  coast  had  been  gradually  in- 
creasing for  several  months,  and  Admirals  Warren 
and  Cockburn  had  shown  a  determination  not  to 
confine  their  operations  to  combats  of  vessel  with 
vessel,  but  wherever  practicable  to  send  a  force 
ashore  to  harass  the  people,  burn  their  homes,  and 
carry  off  their  movable  property.  HarrisoVi's  vie 
tory  was  almost  the  only  achievement  of  the  Amer- 
ican land  forces  worth  mentioning.  The  little  navy 
was  as  gallant  as  ever,  and  had  suffered  no  defeat  in 


224 


PEACE  NEGOTIATIONS. 


[1814. 


1* 


anything  like  an  equal  fight,  except  in  the  case  of 
the  Chesapeake ;  but  now  it  seemed  likely  to  be 
overwhelmed  by  a  power  that  could  send  against  it 
a  thousand  war-ships.  Two  powerful  ones  had  al- 
ready been  sent  for  the  special  purpose  of  capturing 
one  of  our  cruisers,  the  Essex,  with  orders  to  follow 
her  wherever  she  went,  and  take  her  at  all  hazards. 
The  operations  of  the  privateers  had  struck  the 
English  nation  in  its  most  tender  spot,  the  pocket, 
and  roused  it  to  a  furious  determination  for  ven- 
geance ;  while  the  London  journals  were  boldly 
talking  of  schemes  for  using  the  opportunity  to  cut 
ofT  various  slices  of  our  territory. 

Though  the  Federal  party  had  declined  in  popu- 
lar strength,  its  leaders  in  Congress  opposed  the  war 
as  bitterly  as  ever  ;  but  after  considerable  debate  an 
act  was  passed  to  increase  the  regular  army  to  sixty 
thousand  men,  enlisted  for  five  years.  A  bounty  of 
a  hundred  and  twenty-four  dollars  was  voted  for  re- 
cruits, and  eight  dollars  to  each  man  who  brought 
in  one.  Seven  hundred  men  were  added  to  the 
Marine  Corps,  half  a  million  dollars  appropriated  for 
a  floating  battery,  and  a  hundred  dollars  offered  for 
every  prisoner  brought  home  by  a  privateer.  There 
was  a  surplus  of  a  million  dollars  in  the  treasury, 
and  five  millions  were  yet  to  be  paid  in  from  ](xt:^ 
while  the  revenue  for  the  ensuing  year  was  c;)t;nK.:.J 


IN!: 


re- 

ight 
the 

d  for 
for 
here 

sury, 


1814.] 


PEACE  NEGOTIATIONS. 


225 


at  ten  millions.  The  expenditures  were  estimated  at 
forty-five  millions,  and  Congress  authorized  a  new 
loan  of  twenty- five  millions,  and  a  reissue  of  ten 
millions  in  treasury  notes. 

The  Russian  Government  offered  its  friendly 
offices  as  a  mediator  for  peace,  three  times  in  the 
course  of  the  war  ;  but  each  time  the  offer  was  re- 
jected by  England.  Once  —  in  March,  1813  —  the 
offer  was  formally  accepted  on  the  part  of  the 
United  States,  and  Albert  Gallatin  and  James  A. 
liayard,  who  believed  the  English  Government 
would  accept  it  as  readily,  sailed  for  St.  Peters- 
burg, to  join  John  Quincy  Adams,  American  Minis- 
ter at  the  Russian  Court,  in  negotiating  the  peace. 
The  London  Courier  probably  spoke  the  sentiments 
of  a  large  part  of  the  Fjritish  public  when  it  said  : 

"We  hope  the  Russian  me  'iation  will  be  re- 
fused. Indeed,  we  are  sure  it  "11.  We  have  a 
love  for  our  naval  preeminence  that  cannot  bear  to 
have  it  even  touched  by  a  foreign  hand.  Russia 
can  be  hardly  supposed  to  be  adverse  to  the  princi- 
ple of  armed  neutrality,  and  that  idea  alone  would 
be  sufficient  to  make  us  decline  the  off^r.  We 
must  take  our  stand,  never  to  commit  our  naval 
rights  to  the  mediation  of  any  power.  This  is  the 
flag  we  must  nail  to  the  national  mast,  and  go 
down  rather  than  strike  it.     The  hour  of  concession 


1 


I 


'V.  I- 

m 

■rliii 


226 


PEACE  NEGOTIATIONS. 


[1814. 


'•mm 


JilllL 

■lli       111 


and  compromise  is  past.  Peace  must  be  the  conse- 
quence of  punishment  to  America  ;  and  retraction 
of  her  insolent  demands  must  precede  negotiation. 
The  thunder  of  our  cannon  must  first  stril<e  terror 
into  the  American  shores,  and  Great  Britain  must 
be  seen  and  felt  in  all  the  majesty  of  her  might, 
from  Boston  to  Savannah,  from  the  lakes  of  Canada 
to  the  mouths  of  the  Mississippi." 

The  English  Government  declined  the  offer  of 
mediation,  as  before,  but  expressed  a  willingness  to 
nominate  plenipotentiaries  to  make  direct  negotia- 
tions with  the  American  commissioners,  suggesting 
that  the  conference  be  held  in  London,  unless  the 
Americans  preferred  Gottenburg,  Sweden.  This 
answer  was  made  in  September,  1813,  and  reached 
the  United  States  Government  in  official  form  in 
November.  The  President  communicated  it  to 
Congress  early  in  January,  1814,  and  the  proposi- 
tion was  accepted  ;  Gottenburg  being  chosen  as  the 
place,  and  Henry  Clay  and  Jonathan  Russell  being 
added  to  Messrs.  Adams,  Bayard,  and  Gallatin  as 
commissioners.  Their  instructions  were,  to  insist  on 
an  absolute  discontinuance  of  the  practice  of  search 
and  impressment,  and  to  offer,  in  consideration  of 
this,  an  agreement  to  exclude  British  seamen  from 
American  vessels,  and  to  surrender  deserters. 

But  the  best  way  to  secure  an  honorable  peace — 


l8i4.]         CAMPAIGN  AGAINST    THE    CREEKS. 


227 


and  indeed  it  will  be  the  only  way,  until  the  millen- 
nium —  is  by  exhibiting  an  ability  to  prosecute  suc- 
cessful war.  With  the  new  appropriations,  the  Ad- 
ministration, while  sending  its  peace  commissioners 
abroad,  prepared  for  more  vigorous  war  within  our 
own  borders. 

After  a  great  deal  of  trouble  with  troops  who  be- 
lieved their  terms  of  service  had  expired,  and  who 
finally  marched  home  in  spite  of  all  arguments  and 
protests.  Jackson,  who  had  been  made  a  major- 
general,  found  himself  at  Fort  Strothcr  in  January, 
1 8 14,  with  nine  hundred  raw  recruits  and  a  few 
dozen  men  who  had  participated  in  his  autumn 
campaign.  With  these  and  two  hundred  Indians  he 
set  out  on  a  raid  into  the  country  of  the  Creeks. 

On  the  22d,  near  Emucfau,  on  Tallapoosa  River, 
he  was  attacked  by  a  large  force,  who  made  a  feint 
on  his  right  and  then  fell  heavily  upon  his  left. 
The  General  had  anticipated  this  plan,  and  strength- 
ened his  left,  so  that  after  a  stubborn  fight  the 
enemy  were  routed  and  pursued  for  three  miles. 

Two  days  later,  on  the  return  march,  the  troops 
were  in  the  act  of  crossing  Enotachopco  Creek, 
when  the  Indians  attacked  again.  After'  a  few 
shots,  the  rear  guard  retreated  in  disorder,  leaving 
not  more  than  a  hundred  men  to  face  the  enemy  ; 
but  these,   by  determined  bravery,   and  especially 


\\k 


\ 


vi 


1 


i 


•i!|i 


228 


CAMPAIGN  AGAINST   THE   CREEKS.       [1814. 


by  skilful  use  of  a  six-pounder  with  grape-shot,  de- 
feated the  savages,  and  pursued  them  for  two  miles. 
Jackson  himself  acted  as  gunner.  He  lost  in  this 
raid  about  a  hundred  men. 

In  February,  Jackson  had  a  new  army  of  five 
thousand  men,  including  a  regiment  of  United 
States  regulars,  in  which  Sam  Houston  was  an  en- 
sign. The  only  difficulty  now  was  with  supplies  ; 
but  this  was  enormous.  The  distance  from  Fort 
Deposit  to  Fort  Strother  was  only  forty  miles,  but 
the  roads  were  so  bad  that  a  wagon-train  required 
seven  days  to  accomplish  it,  though  there  was  a 
horse  to  every  barrel  of  flour  in  the  load.  Nearly 
sixty  miles  southeast  of  Fort  Strother,  and  the  same 
distance  northeast  of  Montgomery,  is  Horseshoe 
Bend  in  the  Tallapoosa,  enclosing  a  peninsula  of 
one  hundred  acres,  which  is  less  than  five  hundred 
feet  wide  at  the  neck.  Here  the  Creek  warriors,  to 
the  number  of  a  thousand,  had  encamped  and  forti- 
fied themselves,  when  Jackson,  with  nearly  three 
thousand  men,  was  marching  against  them,  for  the 
avowed  purpose  of  externiination.  The  Americans 
•reached  the  place  on  the  morning  of  March  27th, 
and  Jackson  sent  General  Coffee  with  the  mounted 
men  and  Indians  to  cross  the  stream  two  miles  be 
low,  countermarch,  and  take  position  on  the  bank 
in  rear  of  the  village.     When  he  received  the  signal 


i8i4.] 


CAMPAIGN  AGAINST   THE   CREEKS. 


229 


to 
"orti- 
ircc 
the 
icans 
27tb, 
.ntcd 
be 
bank 
signal 


of  their  arrival,  he  moved  forward  with  his  main 
force,  and  planted  two  field-pieces  to  play  upon  the 
breastwork  of  logs  and  earth  which  crossed  the  neck 
of  the  peninsula.  But  a  two  hours'  cannonade  pro- 
duced no  effect  upon  it.  Coffee  and  his  Indians 
now  crossed  the  river,  set  fire  to  the  village,  and  at- 
tacked the  enemy  in  the  rear.  As  Jackson  saw  by 
the  rising  smoke  what  had  been  done,  he  stormed 
the  breastwork  in  front,  and  for  a  little  while  there 
was  desperate  hand-to-hand  fighting  through  the 
loop-holes.  Then  the  trooj5s,  following  the  exam- 
ple of  Major  L.  P.  Montgomery  and  Ensign  Hous- 
ton, mounted  the  works,  leapt  down  among  the 
enemy,  and  plied  the  bayonet  right  and  left  till  the 
Indians  broke  and  fled.  They  neither  asked  for 
quarter  nor  received  it.  Whether  they  hid  them- 
selves in  the  thickets  or  attempted  to  swim  the 
stream,  they  were  hotly  pursued,  hunted  out,  and 
mercilessly  shot.  A  portion  found  shelter  under 
tlie  bank,  where  felled  timber  and  a  rude  breast- 
work protected  them.  .  Jackson  summoned  them  to 
surrender,  promising  to  spare  their  lives  ;  but  they 
shot  his  messenger.  After  he  had  failed  to  dis 
lodge  them  either  by  an  artillery  fire  or  a  storming 
jiarty,  his  troops  set  fire  to  the  timber,  and  shot  the 
Indians  as  they  were  driven  out  by  the  flames.  At 
the  close  of  that  day,  five  hundred  and  fifty-seven 


'»'■  V 


23© 


CAMPAIGN  AGAINST   THE   CREEKS, 


[1814. 


it 


«!^Hl 


of  the  Creeks  lay  dead  on  the  peninsula.  It  is  be- 
lieved that  not  more  than  two  hundred  escaped. 
One  chief,  Manowa,  saved  himself  after  he  had  been 
badly  wounded,  by  plunging  into  the  water,  holding 
himself  under  by  grasping  a  root,  and  breathing 
through  a  reed  that  reached  from  his  mouth  to  the 
surface.  After  nightfall  he  rose,  swam  the  stream, 
and  stole  away. 

Jackson  lost  one  hundred  and  thirty-one  white 
soldiers  and  fifty-four  Chcrokees.  Major  Montgom- 
ery was  killed,  and  Ensign  Houston  was  wounded. 

The  savagery  of  this  warfare  is  explained  by  the 
fact  that  the  Creeks  were  not  fighting  for  any  cause 
of  their  own,  real  or  pretended,  but  only  as  merce- 
naries of  the  English.  In  a  letter  written  at  this 
time,  Jackson  said:  "While  we  fight  the  savage, 
who  makes  war  only  because  he  delights  in  blood, 
and  who  has  gotten  his  booty  when  he  has  scalped 
his  victim,  we  are,  through  him,  contending  against 
an  enemy  of  more  inveterate  character  and  deeper 
design.  So  far  as  my  exertions  can  contribute,  the 
purposes,  both  of  the  savage  and  his  instigator,  shall 
be  defeated. " 

By  these  battles,  the  power  of  the  Creeks  was 
completely  broken,  Jackson  compelled  the  rem- 
nant of  the  tribe  to  move  north,  and  that  summer 
they  were  fed  by  the  Government. 


ood, 
ped 

ainst 
cper 
the 
shall 


CHAPTER    XIV. 
brown's  campaign  on  the  Niagara. 

The  March  to  Buffalo — Capture  of  Fort  Erie — Battle  of  Chippewa- 
Brown's  Plans — Battle  of  Lundy's  Lane — Siege  of  Fort  Erie  by 
the  British. 

Colonel  Winfield  Scott,  who  after  the  fail- 
ure of  Wilkinson's  expedition  had  spent  a  large 
part  of  the  winter  at  Albany,  arranging  with  Gov- 
ernor Tompkins  the  plans  for  the  opening  year,  was 
made  a  brigadier-general  in  March,  and  with  Gen- 
eral Brown  put  the  army  at  Plattsburg  in  motion 
for  the  Niagara  frontier.  Brown  soon  went  to 
Sackett's  Harbor,  leaving  Scott  to  conduct  the  long 
march  alone.  After  passing  Utica,  the  route  lay 
largely  through  a  wilderness.  Where  now  stands 
Rochester,  a  city  of  a  hundred  thousand  inhabitants, 
there  was  then  but  a  single  log  house,  and  the 
scenery  about  the  Genesee  Falls,  now  closely 
hemmed  in  with  tall  buildings,  was  picturesque 
with  forests  and  lively  with  rattlesnakes. 

The  army  that  assembled  at  Buffalo  consisted  of 
Scott's  and  Ripley's  brigades  of  regulars.  Porter's 
brigade  of  militia,  and  Hindman's  battalion  of  reg- 


I'l  ' 


n 


ALL.-. 


! 


232 


BROWN'S  CAMPAIGN. 


[1814. 


ular  artillery.  A  camp  of  instruction  was  formed  at 
once,  the  modern  French  system  being  adopted, 
and  for  three  months  drihing  went  on  every  day 
with  the  most  rigid  regularity.  The  commanding 
General  drilled  the  of^cers  in  squads,  and  they  in 
turn  drilled  the  men  ;  after  which  came  company 
and  battalion  drills,  and  finally  evolutions  in  line. 
It  is  said  that  Scott  had  but  a  single  copy  of  the 
French  work  on  tactics,  on  which  all  his  instruction 
was  based,  and  this  had  to  be  explained  to  the  offi- 
cers individually,  most  of  whom  were  not  able  to 
read  French. 

Late  in  June,  General  Brown  reached  Buffalo,  and 
a  campaign  across  the  river  was  planned  at  once. 
Early  in  the  morning  of  July  3d  the  troops  of  Scott 
and  Hindman  crossed  the  Niagara  from  Black  Rock, 
landing  below  Fort  Erie,  while  Ripley's  crossed  a 
little  later  and  landed  above  the  fort.  The  work 
was  invested,  and  after  the  exchange  of  a  few  shots, 
by  which  four  Americans  and  one  man  of  the  gar- 
rison were  killed,  it  surrendered.  A  hundred  and 
seventy  men  were  made  prisoners  and  sent  across 
the  river. 

The  main  body  of  the  British  forces,  commanded 
by  General  Riall,  was  at  Chippewa,  on  the  bank  of 
the  Niagara  just  above  the  great  falls,  about  six- 
teen miles  below  Fort  Erie.     A  detachment,  com- 


18I4.] 


BRO  WN '  S   CA  MP  A IGN, 


23:^ 


manded  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Pearson,  had  been 
thrown  forward  as  a  corps  of  observation  nearly  to 
the  fort. 

On  the  4th  of  July  the  Americans  marched  on 
Chippewa.  Scott's  brigade,  starting  in  the  morn- 
ing, led  the  van,  and  had  a  running  fight  the  whole 
sixteen  miles  with  Pearson's  detachment.  That 
officer  afterward  remarked  that  he  was  surprised  at 
the  vigor  of  the  pursuit,  and  could  not  account  for 
it  till  he  remembered  what  day  it  was.  When  they 
arrived  at  Chippewa  River,  it  was  nightfall,  and 
Pearson  crossed  it  and  joined  Riall.  Scott  rested 
for  the  night  on  the  south  bank  of  Street's  Creek, 
which  is  two  miles  south  of  the  Chippewa.  These 
two  streams  flow  by  nearly  parallel  courses  into  the 
Niagara,  and  on  the  plain  between  them  the  battle 
of  Chippewa  was  fought  next  day,  July  5th.  Near 
the  bank  of  the  Niagara  ran  the  high  road.  About 
a  mile  west  of  it  was  a  heavy  wood. 

The  corps  of  observation  pursued  by  Scott  had 
destroyed  the  bridges  over  the  small  streams  as  it 
retreated  ;  and  it  was  assumed  by  General  Brown 
that  when  he  approached  the  Chippewa,  the  bridge 
over  that  stream  would  also  be  destroyed.  He 
therefore  delayed  his  attack  while  materials  for  a 
new  bridge  were  prepared,  so  that  when  pursuit  was 
begun  it  might  pot  be   interrupted.     But  General 


t! 


M 


^\\ 


t     ' 


234 


BROWN'S  CAMPAIGN. 


[i8i4. 


Riall,   as  it  proved,   so  far  from  contemplating  re- 
treat, determined  to  assume  the  offensive  himself. 

Early  in  the  day,  skirmishing  began  along  the 
edge  of  the  wood  on  the  left,  by  the  light  troops 
and  Indians.  This  at  last  became  so  annoying  to 
the  American  pickets,  that  Porter's  militia  and  the 
Indians  under  Red  Jacket  were  moved  through  the 
woods  still  farther  to  the  left,  to  flank  the  enemy's 
skirmishers.  Scouts  carried  intelligence  of  this 
movement  to  Riall,  and  Porter's  force,  which  began 
the  action  in  good  order,  was  soon  charged  by  a 
heavy  column  of  British  regulars,  before  which  it 
broke  and  fled. 

General  Brown,  who  had  been  at  the  front  watch- 
ing this  movement,  seeing  a  great  cloud  of  dust  on 
the  left  of  the  British  lines,  rode  in  that  direction 
and  found  that  Riall  was  pushing  forward  his  whole 
force.  Then  he  rode  straight  for  the  American  rear, 
to  hasten  up  Ripley's  troops,  who  were  considera- 
bly behind  those  of  Scott.  Soon  after  he  had 
crossed  the  bridge  over  Street's  Creek,  he  met  Scott, 
who  was  marching  over  for  a  dress  parade  on  the 
plain.  "The  enemy  is  advancing.  You  will  have 
a  fight,"  said  Brown  to  Scott  as  he  passed  him. 

The  British  were  already  deployed  in  the  plain, 
but  hidden  from  Scott  by  a  fringe  of  foliage  along 
the   creek.    **  Nothing   but    Buffalo   militia!"    said 


I8l4] 


BROW/7' S  CAMPAIGN. 


235 


plain, 
along 
said 


Riall,  as  the  Antierican  column  came  in  sight,  and 
opened  his  guns  upon  it.  But  when  he  saw  them 
pass  the  bridge  without  wavering  under  a  heavy 
fire,  and  deploy  in  order  of  battle,  he  changed  his 
mind.     "  Why,  these  arc  regulars  !"  he  exclaimed. 

Towson's  battery,  of  three  guns,  included  in 
Scott's  command,  was  planted  on  the  high  road, 
and  the  British  artillery,  nine  pieces,  had  a  similar 
position  some  distance  to  the  north.  Of  Scott's 
three  battalions.  Major  Jesup's  was  thrown  out  on 
the  left,  Major  McNeil's  had  the  centre,  and  Major 
Leavenworth's  the  right.  The  firing  along  the  lines 
began  at  once.  Seeing  that  by  the  retreat  of  Porter 
his  force  was  likely  to  be  flanked  on  the  left,  Scott 
ordered  Jesup  to  move  obliquely  in  that  direction, 
and  attack  the  extreme  right  of  the  enemy  in  the 
woods,  which  order  Jesup's  men  executed,  under 
fire,  with  precision  and  success. 

The  British  right  wing,  in  conflict  with  Jesup, 
became  detached  from  the  main  body,  whose  right 
was  thereby  left  exposed.  Scott  instantly  saw  his 
advantage  and  profited  by  it.  He  ordered  Mc- 
Neil's battalion  to  charge  obliquely  upon  the  broken 
right  of  the  main  body  of  the  enemy,  and  Leaven- 
worth's at  the  same  time  to  charge  obliquely  upon 
its  left  ;  the  two  battalions  moving  as  if  to  unite  at 
a  point  behind  thp  British  line.     When  this  mover 


!l   -1 


i:'l 


ij: 


M 


236 


BROWN'S  CAMPAIGN. 


[1814. 


In  'i»\ 


mcnt  was  made,  the  opposing  lines  were  within 
eighty  paces  of  each  other,  and  the  firing  had  all 
the  time  been  increasing  in  rapidity  and  destructive- 
ness.  Two  guns  of  Towson's  battery  —  for  one  had 
been  dismounted  by  a  shot  from  the  enemy's  — 
wheeled  into  a  position  from  which  they  could  pour 
grape  and  canister  through  the  British  ranks,  and 
their  last  discharge  before  the  infantry  crossed  bay- 
onets was  an  enfilading  fire  that  wrought  dreadful 
havoc. 

Thus  decimated  by  the  artillery,  the  enemy's  line 
soon  crumbled  and  broke  into  a  disorderly  retreat 
before  the  steady  charge  of  the  infantry.  About 
the  same  time  Jesup  repelled  a  heavy  charge  by  a 
counter  charge,  and  the  entire  body  of  Riall's  forces 
fled  with  all  haste  across  the  Chippewa,  Scott's  men 
following  closely  and  securing  some  prisoners. 

It  was  a  clean  victory,  gained  by  hard  fighting 
and  skilful  manoeuvring  ;  and  as  the  battle  took 
place  in  a  plain  where  there  was  scarcely  any  cover 
of  any  kind  for  the  troops  on  cither  side,  the  losses 
were  exceedingly  heavy.  Just  how  many  men  were 
actually  engaged,  is  a  matter  of  dispute.  But  on 
the  side  of  the  Americans  the  number  appears  not 
to  have  been  over  nineteen  hundred,  Porter's  troops 
going  out  of  the  action  before  it  was  fairly  begun, 
and  Ripley's  not  arriving  in  time  to  take  any  part. 


hting 
took 
cover 
losses 
I  were 
iut  on 
rs  not 
troops 
begun, 
y  part. 


1814.] 


BJiOWN'S  CAMPAIGN. 


237 


The  number  of  Riall's  troops  in  the  fight  appears 
to  have  been  about  twenty-one  hundred.  The  loss 
of  the  Americans,  in  killed,  wounded,  and  missing, 
was  three  hundred  and  twenty-seven  ;  that  of  the 
British,  five  hundred  and  three.  These  are  the 
figures  of  the  official  reports,  which  exclude  the 
Indians. 

Riall  did  not  tarry  long  to  hold  his  position  on 
the  Chippewa.  He  soon  sent  a  portion  of  his  troops 
to  the  forts  on  the  lower  Niagara,  while  with  the 
remainder  he  retreated  to  Burlington  Heights.  His 
Indian  allies,  eighty-seven  of  whom  had  been  killed, 
while  they  had  not  taken  a  single  scalp,  all  deserted 
him  in  disgust. 

This  first  battle  of  the  new  campaign  on  the 
Niagara  was  a  great  inspiration  to  the  American 
people,  showing  them  that  American  soldiers,  if 
properly  drilled  and  handled,  could  face  and  defeat 
the  best  troops  of  the  British  army  ;  for  those  un- 
der Riall  at  Chippewa  were  some  of  the  crack  regi- 
ments—  the  Royal  Scots,  the  King's,  and  the  Hun- 
dredth. An  English  writer  said:  "We  have  now 
got  an  enemy  who  fights  as  bravely  as  ourselves. 
For  some  time  the  Americans  cut  no  figure  on  Umd. 
They  have  now  proved  to  us  that  they  only  wanted 
time  to  acquire  a  little  discipline.  They  have  now 
proved  to  us  what  they  are  made  of,  and  they  are 


I 


'\ 


I 


i"! 


■ 


If; 


m 

r, 

r 

u 


238 


BRO  PVN'S  CA  MP  A IGN. 


[1814. 


the  same  sort  of  men  as  tliosc  who  captured  whole 
armies  under  Ikngoyne  and  Cornvvallis  ;  that  they 
are  neither  to  be  frightened  nor  silenced  ;  and  that 
if  we  should  beat  them  at  last,  we  cannot  expect  to 
do  it  without  expending  three  or  four  hundred  mill- 
ions of  money,  keeping  up  all  our  present  taxes, 
and  adding  to  their  amount,  or  imposing  new  taxes. 
These  are  the  natural  consequences  of  battles  such 
as  that  of  Chippewa." 

Two  days  after  the  battle,  the  Americans  crossed 
Chippewa  River,  and  marched  on  Fort  George.  On 
the  way,  Colonel  Stone,  of  the  New  York  militia, 
burned  the  village  of  St.  Davids,  for  which  he  was 
promptly  court-martialled  and  dismissed  from  the 
service.  Fort  George  was  invested,  and  then  Gen- 
eral Brown  sent  to  Sackett's  Harbor  to  procure 
heavy  guns  for  its  reduction.  But  Commodore 
Chauncey  was  ill,  and  it  seems  not  to  have  oc- 
curred to  him  that  any  other  officer  could  command 
the  fleet  for  their  transportation.  So  Brown,  unable 
to  procure  siege  guns,  abandoned  the  siege,  and 
marched  back  to  Queenstown,  whence  he  sent  his 
sick  across  the  river,  and  then  prepared  for  an  active 
campaign. 

His  idea  was,  to  move  against  Burlington  "'      ,  - 
and  capture  them,  then  continue  his  m. 
the  northern  shore   of  the  lake  and  en-  York 


llifiii 


x8i4.] 


BKOWN-S  CAMPAIGN. 


239 


and 
liable 
and 

It  his 
ictivf 


and  thence,  still  following  the  lake  shore,  march  on 
Kingston.  But  for  the  execution  of  this  plan  he 
relied  upon  the  cooperation  of  Chauncey's  fleet,  and 
that  he  soon  found  he  was  not  likely  to  have. 

On  the  24th  of  July  he  continued  his  retreat  to 
Chippewa,  with  the  hope  of  drawing  out  Riall.  In 
the  afternoon  of  the  25th  he  received  information 
that  the  enemy  had  thrown  a  thousand  men  across 
the  Niagara,  from  Qucenstown  to  Lewiston.  Sup- 
posing they  intended  to  capture  the  magazine  at 
Schlosser  and  intercept  supplies  coming  from  Buf- 
falo, General  Brown  determined  to  draw  them  back 
if  possible  by  again  threatening  the  forts  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river.  With  this  purpose,  he  at  once 
sent  forward  General  Scott  with  thirteen  hundred 
men,  consisting  of  the  battalions  of  Colonel  Brady 
and  Majors  Jesup,  Leavenworth,  and  McNeil,  Tow- 
son's  artillery,  and  a  detachment  of  cavalry  under 
Captain  Harris. 

This  force,  starting  about  five  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, marched  down  the  road  to  the  Falls.  As 
they  approached  the  house  of  a  widow  Wilson,  near 
fable  Rock,  several  British  officers  were  i^een  to 
come  out,  mount  hastily,  and  ride  away,  but  not 
till  they  had  reconnoitred,  through  their  field- 
glasses,    the    American    column.       The    widow    in- 


formed Scott  that   the  officers  were  Riall  and  his 


'•  '\ 


f. 


yt 


^1 


! 


.  i 


i^ 


4 


l[,  'i' 


240 


BROWN'S  CAMPAIGN. 


[1814. 


staff,  and  that  the  enemy's  advance  consisted  of 
eight  hundred  regulars  and  three  hundred  militia, 
with  two  pieces  of  artillery  ;  the  truth  being  that 
the  force  had  nearly  twice  that  strength. 

Scott  pressed  forward  eagerly,  throwing  out  a 
part  of  his  men  to  the  left,  and  sent  back  word  to 
General  Brown  that  the  enemy  was  in  front.  As 
the  Americans  emerged  into  a  cleared  field,  they 
suddenly  found  themselves  confronted  by  the  Brit- 
ish line,  eighteen  hundred  strong,  which  was  drawn 
up  in  Lundy's  Lane,  a  road  that  starts  from  a  point 
near  the  great  Falls  and  runs  westward.  In  the 
centre  of  the  enemy's  line  was  a  battery  of  nine 
pieces,  which  occupied  a  rounded  hillock  of  gentle 
slope  just  high  enough  to  give  it  command  of  the 
entire  field.  Scott  saw  at  once  that  he  was  in  pres- 
ence of  a  greatly  superior  force  ;  but  retreat  was 
almost  impossible,  and  he  judged  it  best  to  attack 
boldly,  and  trust  to  Brown  for  prompt  reenforce- 
ment.  As  the  Americans  deployed  in  line  of  battle, 
the  hostile  forces  were  not  more  than  a  hundred 
and  fifty  paces  apart,  and  firing  began  at  once.  The 
sun  was  now  less  than  an  hour  high. 

Towson's  three  guns  made  a  gallant  fight,  but 
corld  effect  little  against  the  nine  guns  of  the 
enemy,  which  were  served  rapidly  and  skilfully. 
The  British  left  was  east  of  the  road  that  skirted 


pi 


1814.] 


BROWN'S  CAMPAIGN. 


241 


the  river,  and  was  separated  from  the  rest  of  the 
line  l)y  a  «5|^r..ce  of  two  hundred  yards,  which  was 
filled  with  brushwood.  Jesup's  and  Brady's  com- 
mands, partly  hidden  by  this  brushwood  in  the  twi- 
light, attacked  the  detached  wing,  and  after  con- 
siderable fighting  forced  it  back  upon  the  centre, 
capturing  General  Riall  and  several  officers  of  his 
staff,  after  which  Jesup  and  Brady  resumed  their 
place  in  the  line.  At  the  same  time,  the  British 
right  wing,  which  was  longer  than  the  American 
left,  was  thrown  forward  in  an  attempt  to  envelop 
it.  To  meet  this  danger,  Scott  sent  McNeil's  bat- 
talion against  it,  and  after  severe  fighting,  with 
heavy  losses,  the  enemy's  flanking  movement  was 
frustrated. 

Both  the  messenger  sent  back  by  Scott  and  the 
sound  of  the  guns  announced  to  General  Brown 
what  was  going  on,  and  he  ordered  Ripley's  brigade 
and  Porter's  volunteers  to  advance  and  join  in  the 
action.  A.t  the  report  of  the  first  gun,  Ripley  had 
put  his  men  in  marching  order,  and  when  the  word 
came  to  move  they  moved  without  a  minute's  delay. 
General  Brown  rode  before  them  to  the  battle-field, 
and  by  the  time  of  their  arrival  it  was  dark.  About 
the  same  time,  the  enemy  also  was  reenforced. 

Ripley's  brigade  formed  on  Scott's  right,  and 
joined  in   the   battle,   which   had   not   in    the  least 


•\.s 


-I  - 


^ 


:>iJ^ 


'    I- 


242 


BROWN'S  CAMPAIGN. 


[1814. 


abated  at  the  departure  of  daylight.  He  soon  saw 
that  the  strength  of  the  enemy  lay  in  the  destruc- 
tive battery  that  crowned  the  hill  in  the  centre, 
and  called  upon  Colonel  James  Miller,  of  the  Twen- 
ty-first Regiment,  to  take  it.  "  I'll  try,  Sir,"  was 
the  now  famous  answer  of  Miller,  who  at  once  put 
his  men  in  motion  toward  the  battery.  They  crept 
silently  up  to  a  fence  at  the  foot  of  the  slope,  put 
their  muckets  softly  through  it,  took  deliberate  aim 
at  the  gunners,  who  had  lighted  matches  in  their 
hands,  and  at  a  whispered  command  fired  in  volley, 
shooting  down  every  one  of  them.  Miller's  men 
then  rose,  pushed  the  fence  flat  upon  the  ground, 
rushed  forward,  and  cleared  the  hill  of  the  enemy. 
Meanwhile  Scott's  men,  obstinately  holding  their 
first  position,  had  kept  on  steadily  firing,  receiving 
as  constant  a  fire  in  return,  and  both  inflicted  and 
suffered  heavy  loss.  McNeil's  battalion,  having 
lost  its  commander  and  every  one  of  its  captains, 
and  fired  away  all  its  ammunition,  retired  from  the 
field  ;  and  a  little  later,  Colonel  Brady  being  dis- 
abled, his  regiment  also  retired  for  a  similar  reason. 
But  a  considerable  number  of  the  men  of  these  two 
commands  joined  themselves  to  the  regiments  that 
still  stood  firm,  and  reentered  the  fight. 

After  Miller's  capture  of  the  battery,  the  Ameri- 
can line  was  re-fomied,  nearly  at  right  angles  to  its 


i8i4.] 


BROWN'S  CAMPAIGN. 


243 


and 
laving 
stains, 
fm  the 
jg  dis- 
eason. 
se  two 
Its  that 

Lmeri- 
to  its 


former  position,  facing  west,  and  advanced  so  as  to 
hold  the  ground  occupied  by  the  battery.  The 
enemy  also  formed  a  new  line,  and  for  two  hours 
made  the  most  desperate  efforts  to  re-take  the  guns. 
There  was  constant  firing,  aim  being  taken  by  the 
flashes  along  the  opposing  lines,  and  more  than 
once  the  bayonets  were  crossed  in  bloody  hand-to- 
hand  work  in  the  darkness.  It  is  said  that  at  one 
time  the  continuous  blaze  of  the  cannon  and  small 
arms  made  that  part  of  the  field  almost  as  light  as 
day.  During  the  struggle,  both  parties  were  re- 
enforced  by  fresh  troops,  but  Ripley's  men  firmly 
held  the  ground,  repelling  every  attack,  till  the 
enemy  gave  it  up  and  retired. 

General  Brown  and  General  Scott  were  both 
wounded,  and  the  command  devolved  upon  Gen- 
eral Ripley,  who,  an  hour  after  the  enemy  had  re- 
tired, withdrew  the  entire  American  force  from  the 
field,  carrying  off  the  wounded,  and  before  morning 
was  in  camp  at  Chippewa.  As  all  the  artillery 
horses  had  been  killed,  the  guns  for  which  so  costly 
a  struggle  had  been  made  were  left  where  they 
stood,  and  of  course  they  fell  into  the  hands  .of  the 
enemy  when  he  returned  next  morning  and  en- 
camped on  the  deserted  battle-ground.  The  prin- 
cipal reason  why  the  Americans  abandoned  the  field 
was,  the  want  of  water. 


\  ?■ 


-t  r 


244 


BROWN'S  CAMPAIGN. 


[1814. 


The  whole  number  of  Americans  engaged  in  this 
battle  was  about  two  thousand  six  hundred  ;  the 
whole  number  of  British,  about  four  thousand  five 
hundred.  The  American  loss  was  one  hundred  and 
seventy-four  killed,  five  hundred  and  sixty-five 
wounded,  and  one  hundred  and  five  missing — al- 
most one  third  of  the  entire  force.  Among  the 
killed  or  '  lortally  wounded  were  Colonel  Brady  and 
Majors  Leavenworth,  McNeil,  and  McFarland. 
The  British  loss  was  eighty-four  killed,  five  hundred 
and  fifty-seven  wounded,  and  two  hundred  and 
thirty-five  missing  or  prisoners.  The  action  has 
been  called  the  Battle  of  Niagara,  and  the  Battle 
of  Bridgewater,  but  the  most  commonly  accepted 
name  is  Battle  of  Lundy's  Lane. 

Ripley  soon  afterward  destroyed  the  bridge  over 
the  Chippewa,  and  retired  toward  Buffalo.  By 
Brown's  orders,  the  troops  were  thrown  into  Fort 
Erie,  where  they  were  reenforced,  and  General  Rip- 
ley was  superseded  by  General  Edmund  P.  Gaines. 

As  soon  as  he  was  able  to  move.  General  Drum- 
mond,  who  had  succeeded  to  the  command  of  the 
British  forces,  marched  on  Fort  Erie.  A  detach- 
ment which  he  sent  across  the  river  to  attack  Buf- 
falo was  met  and  defeated  at  Black  Rock,  but  a 
party  in  boats  captuicd  two  of  Perry's  vessels  which 
were  moored  under  the  guns  of  the  fort. 


over 

By 

Fort 

Rip- 


ines. 


o 


fum- 
f  the 
itach- 


but  a 


1S14.] 


BRO  WN'S   CA  MPAIGN. 


245 


At  midnight  on  the  14th  of  August,  the  enemy, 
who  had  been  busy  for  two  weeks  planting  batteries 
and  occasionally  bombarding  the  works,  attempted 
to  carry  them  by  storm.  The  Americans  were  ex- 
pecting the  attack,  and  the  preparations  for  making 
it  were  not  more  careful  and  elaborate  than  those 
for  receiving  it.  The  flints  were  withdrawn  from 
the  British  muskets,  both  to  insure  silence  in  the 
approach  and  because  General  Drumrnond  had 
issued  a  secret  order  in  which  he  "strongly  recom- 
mended a  free  use  of  the  bayonet,"  and  after  dark 
a  great  number  of  scaling-ladders  were  carried  for- 
ward and  placed  in  convenient  positions.  The 
Americans  had  their  guns  charged  with  grape  and 
canister,  dark  lanterns  burning,  and  every  musket 
at  hand  and  ready  for  immediate  use.  At  one  bat- 
tery, for  lack  of  canister,  bags  were  made  of  tent- 
cloth,  filled  with  musket-balls,  and  loaded  into  the 


guns. 


The  storming  party  was  in  three  columns.  That 
which  assaulted  the  American  left,  where  Towson's 
battery  was  placed,  marched  up  in  the  face  of  a 
continuous  blaze  of  artillery  and  musketry^  and,  in 
spite  of  the  storm  of  shot  that  rolled  through  it, 
tried  to  scale  the  defences,  and  actually  crossed  bay- 
onets with  the  defenders.  But  in  vain.  Four  such 
assaults  were  made  by  this  column,  and   all  were 


?iii 


f! 


%% 


ii 


*!■ 


I 


1^^        I 


24*5 


BROWN'S  CAMPAIGN, 


[1814. 


bloodily  repelled.  The  rapidity  with  which  the 
guns  of  the  American  battery  were  served,  making 
an  almost  constant  flash,  gave  it  the  name  of  "  Tow- 
son's  lighthouse." 

On  the  right  of  the  American  works  a  similar  as- 
sault was  made  at  the  same  time  by  another  column, 
which  was  met  in  a  similar  way.  Major  Douglass 
filled  his  guns  to  the  muzzle  with  the  bags  of  mus- 
ket-balls, and  though  his  cannoneers  could  not  dis- 
tinctly see  their  enemies,  they  were  so  familiar  with 
the  contour  of  the  ground  in  front  that  they  knew 
how  to  sweep  it  as  effectively  as  if  it  had  been 
broad  daylight.     Here  also  the  attack  failed. 

The  central  column  was  a  little  more  successful. 
The  assailants  dashed  forward  with  their  scaling- 
ladders,  and  mounted  the  parapet  of  the  main  fort, 
but  were  met  at  the  edge  by  the  Americans,  who  in 
a  bloody  fight  hand-to-hand  hurled  them  back. 
Three  times  this  was  repeated,  with  the  same  result. 
The  column  then  moved  silently  around  to  another 
point,  put  up  the  ladders  again,  and  mounted  so 
quickly  as  to  get  a  foothold  within  the  bastion  be- 
fore the  Americans  could  rally  in  sufiicient  force  at 
the  new  point  of  attack  to  prevent  them.  Their 
commander,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Drummond,  was 
at  tlieir  head,  and  repeatedly  called  out  to  his  men 
to  "give  the  Yankees  no   quarter."     Troops  were 


14. 

he 

ng 
>w- 

as- 
m, 
ass 

lUS- 

dis- 
/ith 
new 
)een 

3ful. 
ling- 
fort, 
lO  in 
lack. 
:sult. 
)ther 
d  so 
1  be- 
ce  at 
rheif 
was 
men 
were 


^ 


l-U'Bi 


If 


f 


I  ;i 


:^ 


In 


w 


A    V^ 


■J 


tllih 


1814.J 


BROWN'S  CAMPAIGN. 


247 


rapidly  drawn  to  this  point  from  other  parts  of  the 
fort,  and  here  the  bloodiest  work  of  the  night 
was  done.  The  highest  ofificers  present  mingled 
personally  in  the  fray.  Lieutenant  McDonough,  an 
American,  being  badly  wounded,  asked  for  quarter, 
which  Drummond  refused,  at  the  same  time  repeat- 
ing his  order  to  his  men  to  refuse  it  in  all  cases. 
McDonough  roused  himself  for  one  more  effort, 
seized  a  handspike,  and  kept  several  assailants  at 
bay,  till  Drummond  disabled  him  with  a  pistol-shot. 
An  American  who  saw  this  at  once  shot  Colonel 
Drummond  through  the  breast,  and  followed  the 
shot  with  a  bayonet- thrust.  The  Colonel  had  in  his 
pocket  a  copy  of  General  Drummond's  secret  order, 
and  the  bayonet  passed  through  the  sentence  in 
which  "a  free  use  of  the  bayonet"  was  recom- 
mended.* 

At  daylight  the  enemy  still  held  the  bastion  he 
had  gained  in  the  night,  and  several  determined  at- 
tempts to  dislodge  him  failed,  though  the  number 
of  men  he  had  thrown  into  it  was  being  continually 
reduced  by  an  irregular  fire  directed  upon  it.  The 
British  reserve  was  now  brought  up  to  reerfforce  the 
party  in  the  bastion,  while  Douglass  turned  the 
guns  of  his  battery  so  as  to  sweep  diagonally  the 

*  This  blood-stained  document  is  now  in  the  possession  of  the  New 
York  Historical  Society.  . 


m 


ti 

7f 


m 


■*-^ 


irj'fi 


248 


BROIVN'S  CAMPAIGN, 


[1814. 


ground  over  which  it  must  pass,  and  Fanning's  bat- 
tery was  aheady  playing  upon  the  enemy  with  con- 
siderable effect.  But  at  the  moment  when  the 
reserves  were  ready  to  make  a  rush  for  the  bastion, 
there  was  a  tremendous  explosion,  and  the  platform 
of  the  bastion,  with  all  the  men  upon  it,  was  hurled 
into  the  air.  Masses  of  earth,  stones,  broken  tim- 
bers, and  dead  and  living  bodies  of  men  rose  two 
hundred  feet,  and  in  falling  were  scattered  to  a 
great  distance.  It  was  a  chest  of  ammunition  that 
had  exploded  ;  but  how  it  happened  is  unknown. 
Some  of  the  American  officers  present  believed  it 
to  be  purely  accidental,  others  said  that  Lieutenant 
McDonough,  lying  wounded  at  the  foot  of  the  bas- 
tion, being  exasperated  at  the  treatment  he  had  re- 
ceived, applied  the  match  and  sacrificed  himself  for 
the  sake  of  defeating  his  barbarous  foe.  The  Brit- 
ish reserves  at  once  fell  back,  the  contest  was  aban- 
doned, and  the  shattered  columns  returned  to  their 
camp.  According  to  General  Drummond's  official 
report,  his  loss  in  killed,  wounded,  and  missing,  was 
nine  hundred  and  five.  But  as  he  gives  the  number 
of  his  killed  as  only  fifty-eight,  while  the  Americans 
found  two  hundred  and  twenty-two  British  soldiers 
dead  on  the  field,  it  may  be  that  even  his  acknowl- 
edged total  loss  of  nearly  a  thousand  is  an  under- 
statement.    The  Americans  lost  eighty-four,  besides 


I8I4.J 


BKOIVN'S  CAMPA1GA\ 


249 


{  for 
Brit- 
aban- 
tlieir 
)facial 
cT,  was 
umber 
jricans 
oldiers 

knowl- 
under- 
Ibesides 


forty-five  men  disabled  by  the  cannonade  that  pre- 
ceded the  night  assault. 

General  Gaines  set  to  work  at  once  to  rebuild  the 
ruined  bastion  and  strengthen  the  whole  line  of 
works,  while  the  enemy,  after  receiving  reenforce- 
ments,  began  a  siege  by  regular  approaches.  They 
soon  brought  their  parallels  so  close  that  they  were 
able  to  throw  shells  and  hot  shot  into  the  fort  every 
day.  One  shell  descended  through  the  roof  of  Gen- 
eral Gaines's  headquarters,  and  exploded  at  his  feet, 
so  injuring  him  that  he  was  forced  to  give  up  the 
command  to  General  Rrown,  and  retire  to  Buffalo. 
The  Americans  in  the  fort,  as  well  as  the  besiegers, 
had  been  reenforced,  and  General  Brown  planned  a 
grand  sortie  to  break  up  the  siege  works.  The 
enemy's  camp  was  two  miles  in  the  rear,  and  one 
third  of  his  force  was  thrown  forward  at  a  time  to 
work  on  the  parallels.  The  Americans  secretly 
marked  out  a  road  through  the  woods,  leading  from 
their  left  around  to  a  point  close  upon  the  right  of 
the  besiegers.  On  the  17th  of  September  two  col- 
umns, of  about. one  thousand  men  each,  sallied  out 
from  the  fort.  One  column  followed  the  road 
through  the  woods  and  suddenly  burst  upon  the 
British  right,  while  the  Ccher  marched  through  a 
ravine,  against  the  centre.  Before  reenforcements 
could  come  from  the  British  camp,  the  Americans 


'r    $1 


f 


250 


JiKO  IVN '  S  CA  MPA IGN, 


L1814. 


leaped  into  the  siege  works,  after  bloody  fighting 
overcame  all  resistance,  dismounted  the  guns  and 
rendered  them  useless,  exploded  the  magazines,  and 
returned  to  the  fort  with  many  prisoners.  This 
operation  cost  the  Americans  five  hundred  and 
twenty  men,  killed,  wounded,  or  missing,  and  the 
British  six  hundred  and  nine. 

In  the  night  of  the  21st,  General  Drummond 
raised  the  siege,  and  retired  beyond  the  Chippewa. 
In  October  the  Americans  dismantled  Fort  Erie, 
and  returned  to  the  eastern  shore  of  the  Niagara. 


CHAPTER   XV. 


THE   SECOND   INVASION   OF   NEW    YORK. 


M 


Fight  at  La  Colle  Mill — Ship-building — Yeo's  Attack  on  Oswegc 
Affairs  at  Charlotte  anil  I'oultncyville — Fight  at  Sandy  Creek — 
Izard's  Failure  on  the  Niagara — Expedition  against  Michiliniacki- 
nac — I'revost's  Advance  into  New  Vork — Its  Purpose — Battle  of 
Plattsburg. 

In  February  General  Wilkinson  had  removed  his 
army  from  French  Mills  to  Plattsburj^,  on  Lake 
Champlain,  and  a  month  later  he  added  one  more 
to  the  futile  invasions  of  Canada.  At  the  head  of 
four  thousand  men,  he  crossed  the  border,  March 
30th,  met  a  party  of  British  at  Odelltovvn,  with 
whom  skirmishing  was  carried  on  for  three  miles 
along  the  road,  and  found  the  enemy  seriously  in 
his  path  at  La  Colle  Mill,  on  the  Sorel,  four  miles 
from  Rouse's  Point,  where  about  two  hundred  men 
were  posted  in  a  stone  mill  and  a  block-house,  on 
either  side  of  La  Colle  Creek. 

Wilkinson  brought  up  two  pieces  of  artillery  and 
planted  them  within  two  hundred  yards  of  the  stone 
mill.  Then  he  disposed  his  forces  in  such  a  way  as 
nearly  to  surround  it  and  cut  off  the  retreat  of  the 
enemy  when  his  guns  should  knock  the  walls  of  the 


It 


;|;i 


'I 
1 


t>,  'V 


252 


SECOND  INVASION  OF  NEW  YORK. 


[1814. 


1  I 


mi!l  zbout  their  heads.  But  though  the  guns  were 
served  with  great  skill  and  rapidity  for  two  hours, 
the  walls  would  n't  budge,  and  it  did  not  occur  to 
the  enemy  to  attempt  a  retreat.  On  the  contrary, 
from  their  secure  position  they  used  their  rifles  so 
effectively  that  Wilkinson's  men  suffered  severely. 
Captain  McPherson,  commanding  the  battery,  was 
wounded  in  the  chin,  but  tied  it  up  with  his  hand- 
kerchief and  remained  at  his  post  till  another  shot 
broke  his  thigh,  when  he  was  borne  oft".  His  suc- 
cessor. Lieutenant  Larrabce,  was  soon  shot  through 
the  lungs,  when  he  also  was  borne  to  the  rear ;  and 
Lieutenant  Sheldon  then  kept  the  battery  in  play 
till  the  close  of  the  fight. 

Major  Hancock,  commanding  the  enemy,  having 
received  reenforcements  that  swelled  the  number  of 
his  men  to  about  a  thousand,  ordered  a  sortie,  to 
capture  the  battery.  His  troops  suddenly  burst 
from  the  mill,  and  m.ade  a  rush  for  the  guns.  But 
this  subjected  them  to  a  fire  from  the  American  in- 
fantry, by  which  they  suffered  heavily,  and  they 
were  obliged  to  return  to  the  mill  and  the  block- 
house. A  second  and  more  desperate  sortie  had 
the  same  result,  and  the  enemy  then  shut  them- 
selves up  in  the  house  and  defied  all  attempts  to 
drive  them  out.  As  the  condition  of  the  roads  pre- 
vented him  from  bringing  up  heavier  artillery,  VVil- 


"  :  M 


if 


I8i4.] 


SECOND  INVASION  OF  NEW  YORK. 


253 


aving 
jer  of 
to 
3urst 
But 
\\\  in- 
they 
lock- 
had 
hem- 
:)ts  to 
s  pre- 
VVil- 


kinson  gave  up  the  expedition  and  returned  through 
mud,  snow,  and  rain  to  Plattsburg.  The  affair  had 
cost  him  a  hundred  and  fifty-four  men,  and  inflicted 
on  the  enemy  a  loss  of  sixty-orje.  The  General 
asked  for  a  court-martial,  and  was  tried  and  ac- 
quitted ;  but  this  ended  his  military  career.  Gen- 
eral George  Izard  succeeded  to  his  command. 

Both  belligerents  were  still  building  ships  for  ser- 
vice on  Lake  Ontario.  The  British  had  a  large  one 
on  the  stocks  at  Kingston,  and  the  Americans  an 
equally  large  one  at  Sackett's  Harbor.  All  sorts  of 
insignificant  affairs  took  place  during  the  spring  and 
summer  along  the  shores  of  this  lake  and  Lake 
Champlain,  effecting  nothing,  but  keeping  the  peo- 
ple in  a  state  of  alarm. 

On  one  occasion  three  boats  approached  Sackett's 
Harbor,  carrying  two  barrels  of  powder,  with  which 
it  was  intended  to  blow  up  the  new  vessel  on  the 
stocks.  But  they  were  discovered  and  fired  at, 
whereupon  the  crews  hastily  threw  the  powder  over- 
board, fearing  it  would  be  exploded  by  a  bullet,  and 
pulled  away. 

Finding  that  he  could  not  destroy  the  Hew  ship. 
Sir  James  Yeo  determined  to  render  her  useless  by 
capturing  the  guns,  rigging,  and  stores  intended  for 
her,  which  v/ere  at  Osw^ego.  Accordingly  he  or- 
ganized an  expedition  of  about  three  thousand  men, 


\\ 

I,  I 

'  t 

■  is 


*• 


•t^r' 


254 


SECOND  INVASION  OF  Nli  IV  YORK. 


Li8r4. 


the  troop?  being  commanded  by  General  Drum- 
mond,  and  sailed  for  that  place  early  in  May.  The 
fort  at  Oswego,  an  old  affair,  in  a  dilapidated  con- 
dition, was  on  one  side  of  the  river,  and  the  village 
on  the  other.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Mitchell,  com- 
manding at  the  fort,  saw  the  approaching  expedition 
early  in  the  morning  of  May  5th.  As  his  force  was 
too  small  to  be  divided,  he  sent  a  large  number  of 
tents  across  the  river,  and  had  them  pitched  in  front 
of  the  village.  This  convinced  the  enemy  that  there 
was  a  heavy  force  on  that  side  of  the  river,  and  he 
confined  his  attention  to  the  fort. 

The  ships  bombarded  the  work,  and  a  force  at- 
tempted to  land  by  means  of  boats.  But  Colonel 
Mitchell  sent  a  few  men  down  the  shore  with  one 
old  gun,  and  as  soon  as  they  came  within  range  it 
made  such  havoc  among  the  boats'  crews  that  they 
pulled  back  to  the  fleet.  One  of  the  boats,  sixty  feet 
long,  propelled  by  three  sails  and  thirty-six  oars,  was 
so  shattered  that  it  was  abandoned  and  drifted  ashore. 

The  next  day  the  fleet  returned  to  the  attack, 
and  this  time  succeeded  in  landing  about  two  thou- 
sand men.  Colonel  Mitchell,  who  had  been  reen- 
forced  by  a  small  body  of  militia,  gradually  retired 
before  the  invaders,  making  a  gallant  resistance  as 
long  as  it  was  of  any  use,  and  then  retreated  to  a 
point  several  miles  up  the   river,   whither  most  of 


I8i4.] 


SECOND  INVASION  OF  NEW  YORK 


255 


;  at- 
lonel 
one 
ge  it 
hey 

feet 

was 
hore. 
tack, 
thou- 

rcen- 

ctired 

ncc  as 

1  to  a 

ost  of 


the  stores  had  been  removed,  and  destroyed  the 
bridges  behind  him.  The  enemy  raised  and  carried 
away  the  schooner  Growlc,  which,  as  it  contained 
some  of  the  guns  for  the  new  vessel,  the  Americans 
had  sunk  on  the  approach  of  the  expedition  ; 
burned  the  barracks,  took  whatever  he  could  find 
that  was  movable,  and  on  the  7th  sailed  away.  The 
action  had  cost  him  two  hundred  and  thirty-five 
men,  killed,  wounded,  or  drowned.  The  Americans 
had  lost  sixty-nine. 

Five  days  later  a  British  squadron  appeared  before 
Charlotte,  at  the  mouth  of  Genesee  River.  The  vil- 
lage was  guarded  by  sixty  men,  with  one  field -piece. 
Word  was  sent  to  General  Peter  B,  Porter,  who 
arrived  on  the  morning  of  the  13th,  just  in  time  to 
refuse  a  demand  for  the  surrender  of  the  place. 
Two  gunboats  then  entered  the  river  and  bom- 
barded the  town  for  an  hour  and  a  half,  throwing  in 
shells,  rockets,  and  round  shot.  The  women  and 
children  were  removed,  a  militia  force  of  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  men  was  collected,  and  dispositions 
were  made  to  capture  the  boats  if  they  should  vent- 
ure farther  up  the  river.  A  second  demand  for  a 
sur.  "ider,  with  a  threat  to  land  twelve  hundred 
men  and  destroy  th'^  village,  was  refused  by  Porter, 
and  on  the  15th  the  boats  bombarded  the  place 
again  for  some  hours,  and  then  withdrew. 


I  till' I 


■i\ 


Wrf 


<  1' 


I'       '■''.'. 


256 


SECOND  INVASION  OF  NE IV  YORK. 


[1814. 


i'  1 


In  the  evening  the  squadron  sent  a  force  on  shore 
at  Poultneyville,  where  some  stores  were  captured  ; 
but  a  small  body  of  militia  under  General  John 
Swift  soon  appeared  and  drove  the  enemy  precipi- 
tately back  to  their  boats. 

As  Sir  James  Yeo  was  blockading  Sackett's  Har- 
bor for  the  special  purpose  of  preventing  the  arma- 
ment of  the  new  vessel  from  being  carried  in,  the 
wits  of  the  Americans  were  taxed  to  get  the  guns 
and  cables  •■:here.  Transportation  all  the  way  by 
land  would  have  been  tedious  and  costly.  The  task 
was  assigned  to  Captain  Woolsey,  of  the  navy.  He 
caused  a  story  to  be  circulated,  in  a  way  that  made 
it  sure  to  reach  the  vigilant  enemy,  that  the  guns 
were  to  be  trai  ^ported  by  way  of  Oneida  Lake. 
They  were  on  nineteen  boats,  and  on  the  28th  of 
May  he  ran  the  rapids  and  arrived  at  Oswego  with 
them  at  dusk.  The  plan  was,  to  coast  along  down 
the  lake  as  far  as  Sandy  Creek,  eight  miles  from 
Sackett's  Harbor,  run  up  the  creek,  and  thence 
carry  them  overland.  Accompanied  by  a  hundred 
and  twenty  riflemen,  under  Major  Appling,  the 
flotilla  went  down  the  lake  by  night  as  far  as  Big 
Salmon  River,  and  in  the  morning  one  boat  was 
missing.  At  this  point  a  body  of  Oneida  Indians 
joined  the  expedition,  and  at  noon  on  the  29th  it 
reached  Sandy  Creek.     The  missing  boat  had  gone 


iSi4.] 


SECOND  INVASION  OF  NEW   YORK. 


257 


onto  Sackett's  Harbor,  where  —  perhaps  purposely 
—  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  blockaders,  to  whom 
its  crew  told  the  whole  story  of  Woolsey's  flotilla. 
Sir  James  at  once  sent  a  force,  in  two  gunboats  and 
four  smaller  craft,  to  capture  it.  This  expedition 
sailed  up  Sandy  Creek  on  the  morning  of  the  30th, 
thinking  to  make  sure  prize  of  the  flotilla  and  its 
cargo  of  guns  and  cables.  But  Major  Appling  had 
placed  his  riflemen  in  ambush  along  the  bank,  and 
near  the  flotilla  was  Captain  Melville  with  a  com- 
pany of  light  artillery  and  two  six-pounders.  The 
enemy's  gunboats  opened  fire  on  the  flotilla  as  fast 
as  they  came  within  gunshot,  and  a  party  of  troops 
was  landed.  As  soon  as  they  were  within  range  of 
Appling's  rifles,  he  poured  in  a  deadly  fire  upon 
their  flank  and  rear,  while  at  the  same  time  the  ar- 
tillery played  upon  them  in  front.  In  ten  minutes 
the  British  lost  eighteen  men  killed  and  fifty 
"vounded,  when  the  whole  force  surrendered.  ..  ae 
captured  boats  mounted  seven  guns,  and  there  were 
a  hundred  and  sixty-five  prisoners.  The  Americans 
had  two  men  wounded.  The  Indians  took  no  ac- 
tive part  in  the  fight. 

This  affair  inflicted  so  serious  a  loss  upon  the 
British  fleet  that  it  returned  to  Kingston,  and  re- 
mained there  till  another  ship  and  more  men  could 
be   obtained.       The   Americans    arrived    safely   at 


K  r 


PJ 


w 


n^ 


SECOND  INVASION  OF  NEW  YORK. 


[1814. 


i'i 


I  ■<* 


Sackett's  Harbor  with  their  guns,  and  the  new 
frigate,  the  Mohawk,  was  launched  on  the  nth  of 
June.  Chauncey's  squadron  then  consisted  of  nine 
vessels,  mounting  two  hundred  and  fifty-one  guns. 

Early  in  August,  General  Izard,  being  ordered  to 
relieve  General  Brown  in  the  command  on  the  Niag- 
ara frontier,  marched  from  Plattsburg  with  about 
four  thousand  troops,  leaving  General  Alexander 
Macomb  in  command  there  with  twelve  hundred, 
including  the  invalids.  After  his  arrival  at  Buffalo, 
I^ard  crossed  the  Niagara  with  about  eight  thousand 
men,  and  set  forward  to  attack  Drummond  on  the 
Chippewa.  But  the  British  commander,  after  one 
sharp  skirmish,  withdrew  his  forces  to  Fort  George 
and  Burlington  Heights.  Izard,  who  lacked  the 
energy  to  follow,  persuaded  himself,  in  spite  of  the 
almanac,  that  the  season  was  far  advanced,  and 
retired  to  Black  Rock. 

Another  American  expedition  on  the  upper  lakes 
was  not  more  satisfactory  or  creditable  in  its  result. 
It  was  intended  for  the  re-capture  of  Michilimacki- 
nac,  the  first  place  taken  by  the  British  during  the 
war.  The  garrison  was  strengthened  in  April,  18 14, 
and  three  months  later  a  detachment  sent  out  from 
it  captured  the  American  post  at  Prairie  du  Chien. 

The  naval  portion  of  the  expedition  was  entrusted 
to  Commander  Arthur  St.  Clair,  who  had  five  ves- 


'Jii 


I8i4.] 


SECOND  INVASION  OF  NEW  YORK. 


259 


r  lakes 
result, 
macki- 
ng  the 
i8i4» 
it  from 
hien. 
itrusted 
ive  ves- 


sels which  had  formed  part  of  Perry's  fleet.  He 
took  on  board  five  hundred  regular  troops  and 
about  the  same  number  of  militia,  commanded  by 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Croghan,  who  had  made  the 
gallant  defence  of  Fort  Stephenson  the  year  before, 
sailed  on  the  I2th  of  July,  and  arrived  at  Michili- 
mackinac  on  the  26th.  There  was  a  difference  of 
opinion  as  to  the  best  mode  of  attack  ;  St.  Clair 
was  unwilling  to  attempt  it  first  with  his  vessels, 
because  the  fort  was  so  far  above  the  water  that  it 
could  send  a  plunging  fire  upon  their  decks. 

On  the  4th  of  August  the  troops  were  landed  on 
the  north  side  of  the  island,  to  attack  the  fort  in 
the  rear.  But  Lieutenant-Colonel  McDonall,  who 
commanded  it,  had  drawn  out  his  entire  garrison, 
and  taken  up  a  strong  position  in  the  path  of  the 
Americans.  His  men  were  behind  a  small  ridge 
which  formed  a  natural  breastwork,  the  ground  in 
front  was  perfectly  clear,  and  two  field-pieces  com- 
manded it.  On  each  of  their  flanks  was  a  thick 
wood,  and  in  these  woods  McDonall  posted  a  force 
of  Indians.  Croghan  advanced  with  his  militia  in 
front,  and  attempted  to  turn  the  British  left.  But 
a  volley  from  the  Indians  in  the  woods,  whom  he 
had  not  discovered,  killed  Major  Holmes,  wounded 
Captain  Desha,  and  threw  the  American  right  wing 
inlo  confusion.    Croghan  then  attacked  the  enemy's 


n 


I' 


m 


n 


V.    4 


H 


IVl 


i  ?' 


260 


SECOND  INVASION  OF  NEW   YORK. 


[1814. 


centre,  and  drove  him  from  his  breastwork  into  the 
woods  in  his  rc.ir.  But  beyond  this  point  it  seemed 
imMossible  to  accomplish  anything,  and  the  Am- 
ericans soon  withdrew  from  the  field  and  reem- 
barked.  They  had  lost  thirteen  men  killed,  fifty-two 
wounded,  and  two  missing.  The  British  loss  is 
unknown. 

But  while  these  insignificant  actions  were  taking 
place  along  the  whole  length  of  the  lakes,  a  serious 
danger  threatened  the  country  at  the  eastern  ex- 
tremity of  that  line,  and  was  averted  by  a  brilliant 
victory. 

The  British  troops  at  the  foot  of  Lake  Champlain 
had  been  heavily  reenforced  by  veterans  from  the 
armies  that  had  conquered  Napoleon,  and  Sir 
George  Prevost,  who  had  been  ordered  to  make  an 
invasion  of  New  York  by  the  route  taken  by  Bur- 
goyne  in  1777,  seized  the  opportunity  when  the 
Americans  at  Plattsburg  were  weakened  by  the 
absence  of  Izard  and  the  four  thousand  men  he  had 
taken  with  him  to  the  Niagara  frontier. 

The  object  of  the  movement  was,  to  capture  and 
hold  a  portion  of  the  State  of  New  York  ;  so  that 
when  the  pending  peace  negotiations  were  brought 
to  a  close,  it  might  be  stipulated  that  all  territory 
should  remain  with  the  party  in  whose  possession  it 
then  was,  and  this  would  give  the  English  complete 


I8i4.] 


SECOND  INVASION  OF  NEW  YORK, 


261 


loutrht 


control  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  Lake  Champlain,  if 
not  of  I  akc  Ontario  also.  In  accordance  with  this 
purpose,  Prcvost  issued  a  proclamation  to  the  inhab- 
itants of  that  sparsely  settled  region,  calling  upon 
them  to  renounce  allegiance  to  the  United  States, 
renew  their  allegiance  to  Great  Britain,  and  furnish 
his  troops  subsistence.  Had  his  forces  been  victo- 
rious, he  would  have  claimed  that  this  had  been 
done,  and  ilie  English  would  then  probably  have 
been  successful  in  their  purpose  to  "change  the 
boundary  of  New  York." 

General  Alexander  Macomb,  who  had  been  left  in 
command  at  Plattsburg  on  the  departure  of  General 
Izard,  and  had  been  told  by  that  officer  that  he 
must  expect  to  be  driven  out  or  made  a  prisoner  by 
the  enemy,  had  made  up  his  mind  to  falsify  the 
prediction,  and  exhibited  wonderful  energy  in  put- 
ting the  place  into  a  defensible  condition. 

Saranac  River,  after  running  parallel  with  the 
shore  of  Lake  Champlain  for  a  short  distance,  turns 
sharply  to  the  east  and  flows  into  Cumberland  or 
Plattsburg  Bay.  On  the  peninsula  thus  enclosed, 
which  is  about  half  a  mile  wide,  the  Americans  con- 
structed three  redoubts  and  two  block-houses,  one 
of  them  being  at  the  mouth  of  the  river.  The 
north  bank  is  about  thirty  feet  high  ;  and  the  south 
bank,  which   was  the  one  occupied   by  the  Amcri- 


11 

ill 


li 


ii' 


)   I 


I 


Jl  t, 


>         .1 


^62 


SECOND  INVASION  OF  NEW  YORK. 


[1814. 


cans,  about  fifty.  Macomb  had  fifteen  hundred  reg- 
ulars, and  two  thousand  militia. 

Prevost,  with  fourteen  thousand  troops,  began 
his  advance  on  the  29th  of  August,  crossed  the  bor- 
der on  the  1st  of  September,  and  thenceforth  found 
his  march  impeded  somewhat  by  felled  trees  and 
broken  bridges.  He  was  in  no  great  hurry,  how- 
ever, as  he  was  in  advance  of  the  fleet,  commanded 
by  Commodore  George  Downie,on  whose  cooperation 
he  relied.  He  impressed  the  horses  of  farmers 
along  the  route  for  the  transportation  of  his  artil- 
lery and  supplies,  and  arrived  before  Plattsburg  on 
the  6th,  The  advance  of  his  right  column  was  as- 
saulted by  a  small  body  of  riflemen  under  Major 
John  E.  Wool,  who  inflicted  some  loss  and  drove  it 
back  upon  the  main  body.  Wool  fell  back,  was 
joined  by  Captain  Leonard's  battery,  made  another 
stand,  inflicted  more  loss  with  the  artillery,  and 
again  fell  back  slowly  till  he  crossed  the  Saranac, 
destroying  the  bridge  behind  him.  The  enemy's 
left  column,  approaching  by  a  road  nearer  the  lake, 
was  annoyed  by  skirmishers  under  Lieutenant-Colo- 
nel Appling,  and  by  the  American  gun-boats.  Both 
bridges  were  destroyed,  and  when  the  enemy's  rifle- 
posted  themselves  in  several  houses  on  the 
.1  bank,  these  were  set  on  fire  bv  hot  shot. 

But  the  British  fleet  had  not  yet  come  up,  and 


I8i4.]        SECOND  INVASION  OF  NEW  YORK. 


263 


it 

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Prevost,  while  waiting  for  it,  spent  several  days  in 
erecting  batteries  and  perfecting  his  preparations 
for  a  serious  assault.  The  fleet  appeared  on  the 
morning  of  the  nth,  and  the  General  gave  orders 
for  an  immediate  advance. 

His  men  attempted  to  ford  the  river  at  three 
places — where  the  two  bridges  had  been,  and  at  a 
point  farther  up,  known  as  Pike's  Cantonment  — 
their  movements  being  covered  by  a  heavy  fire  from 
the  liritish  batteries.  The  troops  that  actually  ad- 
vanced to  the  assault  numbered  eight  thousand, 
and  they  carried  an  immense  number  of  scaling- 
ladders,  to  enable  them  to  climb  the  high  bank  and 
afterward  surmount  the  American  works. 

At  the  lower  bridge,  the  fire  from  the  forts  and 
block-houses  drove  them  back.  At  the  upper  bridge, 
they  were  prevented  from  landing  by  a  steady  fire 
of  musketry.  At  Pike's  Cantonment,  where  the 
river  was  easily  fordable,  there  was  only  militia  to 
dispute  the  pcissage.  Yet  several  attempts  to  cross 
were  repelled  ;  and  when  finally  a  body  of  regulars 
succeeded  in  crossing,  the  militia  rallied  and  drove 
it  back  again  with  heavy  loss.  At  this  --point  of 
time  the  issue  of  the  battle  had  been  decided  by 
the  action  on  the  water. 

The  American  flotilla,  commanded  by  Lieutenant 
Thomas  Macdonough,  was  drawn  up  in  line  to  await 


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SECOND  INVASION  OF  NEW  YORK. 


[1814. 


the  attack,  in  such  manner  that  the  British  ships  could 
not  enter  the  bay  without  being  exposed  to  a  broad- 
side fire.  Macdonough's  vessels  v/ere  all  stationed 
with  their  prows  to  the  north,  the  Eagle,  of  twenty- 
guns,  at  the  head  of  the  line  ;  then  the  Saratoga, 
flag-ship,  of  twenty-six  guns  ;  then  the  Ticonderoga, 
of  seventeen  ;  and  lastly  the  Preble,  of  seven,  which 
was  so  near  a  shoal  that  the  enemy  could  not  pass 
around  her.  Macdonough  also  had  ten  galleys  or 
gun-boats,  which  he  placed  inside  of  his  line,  oppo- 
site the  intervals  between  the  larger  vessels.  The 
British  flotilla  also  consisted  of  four  large  vessels  — 
carrying  respectively  thirty-seven,  sixteen,  eleven, 
and  eleven  guns  —  and  twelve  gun-boats.  The 
total  American  force  was  fourteen  vessels,  with 
eighty-six  guns  and  eight  hundred  and  fifty  men  ; 
the  total  British  force,  sixteen  vessels,  with  ninety- 
five  guns  and  one  thousand  and  fifty  men. 

The  peculiar  thing  in  Macdonough's  preparations, 
and  the  one  perhaps  whi>_h  secured  him  the  victory, 
was  an  arrangement  by  which  he  made  it  possible  to 
turn  his  flag-ship  almost  instantly  so  as  to  bring  her 
broadside  to  bear  on  any  point.  He  did  this  by 
iaying  a  kedge  anchor  broad  off  each  of  her.  bows, 
and  carrying  the  hawsers  to  the  quarters.  Thus  by 
winding  in  one  or  the  other  of  the  hawsers  the  stern 
of  the  ship  could  be  swung  one  way  or  the  other, 


«B 


1814.]        SECOND  INVASION  OF  NEW  YORK. 


265 


while  the  cable  of  the  main  anchor  kept  her  bow  in 
one  place. 

The  English  line  bore  down  upon  the  American 
in  fine  style,  the  first  two  vessels  firing  as  they  ap- 
proached. The  flag-ship  Confiaticc  did  not  open 
fire  till  she  had  dropped  anchor  within  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  of  her  foe. 

The  Eagle,  at  the  head  of  the  American  line, 
began  firing  in  a  wild  way,  without  orders,  before 
her  shot  could  reach  the  enemy.  The  excitement 
was  soon  felt  through  the  fleet,  and  was  shared 
by  a  young  cock  which  had  escaped  from  his  coop 
on  the  deck  of  the  Saratoga.  In  response  to  the 
boom  of  the  cannon,  he  flew  upon  a  gun-slide, 
flapped  his  wings,  and  crowed  loudly.  The  sailors 
burst  into  a  hearty  laugh,  and  gave  three  cheers. 
Then  a  long  gun,  sighted  by  Macdonough  himself, 
was  fired,  and  as  the  shot  raked  the  deck  of  the 
Confiance,  the  whole  line  opened  and  the  battle  be- 
came general.  The  first  broadside  from  the  Confi- 
ance  disabled  forty  men  on  the  Saratoga;  for  fif- 
teen minutes  everything  was  ablaze,  and  the  roar 
was  continuous.  Then  the  vessel  at  the  head  of  the 
British  line  struck  her  colors. 

The  enemy's  shot  cut  away  the  Eagle  s  springs  — 
ropes  fastened  either  to  the  anchor  or  to  the  cable, 
and  passed  to  the  quarter,  in  ordv.'-  to  sway  the  ship 


si' 
'fl 


266 


SECOND  INVASION  OF  NEW  YORK: 


[1814. 


to  one  side  or  the  other  and  bring  the  guns  to  bear 
on  any  desired  point.  Her  commander,  Lieutenant 
Henley,  then  cut  his  cable,  sheeted  home  the  top- 
sails, ran  down  behind  the  Saratoga,  and  took  a 
position  between  her  and  the  Ticondcroga,  anchor- 
ing by  the  stern,  which  brought  the  fresh  guns  of 
his  larboard  battery  to  bear  on  the  enemy,  when 
they  were  served  with  good  effect. 

The  Preble  .was  attacked  by  the  enemy's  gun- 
boats, and  driven  from  her  position  ;  but  they  were 
stopped  by  the  next  in  line,  which  they  vainly  tried 
to  board.  Every  gun  of  the  starboard  battery  —  the 
side  nearest  the  enemy  —  on  the  American  flag-ship 
was  disabled.  Then  Macdonough  proceeded  to 
"wind  ship,"  that  is,  to  turn  the  vessel  completely 
round  by  winding  at  the  hawsers  attached  to  the 
kedges.  This  was  accomplished  without  accident, 
and  his  gunners,  springing  to  the  larboard  battery, 
poured  out  fresh  broadsides  that  made  dreadful 
havoc  with  the  Confiance.  The  commander  of  that 
vessel  attempted  to  copy  Macdonough's  mancEuvre, 
for  her  battery  on  the  side  presented  to  the  enemy 
was  also  nearly  used  up,  but  failed,  and  two  hours 
and  a  quarter  after  the  fight  began  her  colors  came 
down.  The  remaining  British  vessels  also  surren- 
dered, and  the  victory  was  complete. 

When  the  tremendous  cheer  that  burst  from  the 


^ 


I* 


1814.]         SECOND  INVASION  OF  NEW  YORK. 


.67 


sailors  of  the  American  fleet  announced  this  news, 
to  friend  and  foe  on  shore,  Sir  George  Prevost  — 
who  from  the  first  had  relied  more  upon  the  fleet 
than  upon  his  army  —  gave  up  his  whole  plan,  and 
made  all  haste  to  return  to  Canada. 

In  this  bloody  battle  — which    defeated  what  is 
known   as  the   second  invasion  of  New  York,  and 
preserved  our  territory  intact  —  the  American  fleet 
sufi"ered  a  loss  of  fifty-two  men  killed  and  fifty-eight 
wounded.     The  British,  according  to  their  official 
report,  lost  fifty-seven  killed,  including  Commodore 
Downie,   and    seventy-two  wounded  ;  Macdonough 
reported  their  loss  at  eighty-four  killed  and  a  hun- 
dred and  ten  wounded.     The  British  galleys,  before 
the  Americans  could  take  possession  of  them,  drifted 
out  into  the  lake,  and  escaped. 


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CHAPTER   XVI. 


OPERATIONS  ALONG  THE   COAST. 

Capture  of  Eastport  and  Castine — Occupation  of  Territory  in  Maine — 
Destruction  of  the  Frigate  Ada/iis — Bombardment  of  Stonington— 
Affairs  at  Wareham,  Scituate,  and  Boothbay. 

The  close  of  the  war  in  Europe  had  not  only  en- 
abled the  English  to  strengthen  their  land  forces  in 
America,  but  had  also  liberated  many  of  their  war- 
ships, and  the  result  was  felt  all  along  our  coast. 
The  enemy's  purpose  to  conquer  territory  which 
might  be  retained  after  the  war,  apparent  enough 
before,  was  now  definitely  proclaimed. 

In  July,  Sir  Thomas  Hardy,  commander  of  the 
British  fleet  before  New  London,  received  orders  to 
capture  Moose  Island,  in  Passamaquoddy  Bay,  and 
sailed  thither  with  five  ships  of  war  and  transports 
containing  about  fifteen  hundred  troops.  The 
Americans  had  here  a  small  fort,  garrisoned  by 
only  fifty  men,  under  Major  Putnam,  who  made 
no  resistance  to  the  enemy,  but  surrendered  at  once, 
July  nth.  Sir  Thomas  then  took  formal  possession 
not  only  of  the  town  of  Eastport,  which  at  that 
time  contained  about  one  thousand  inhabitants,  but 


l8i4.] 


OPERATIONS  ALONG    THE   COAST. 


269 


of  the  whole  island,  and  issued  a  proclamation  in 
which  he  declared  that  all  the  islands  in  the  bay 
had  been  surrendered  and  were  thenceforth  British 
territory.  He  gave  the  inhabitants  one  week  in 
which  to  make  their  choice,  either  to  swear  allegi- 
ance to  the  British  Crown  or  move  away.  About 
two  thirds  of  the  people  took  the  oath,  supposing 
they  would  thereby  be  admitted  to  the  privileges  of 
British  citizenship  ;  but  a  month  later  the  Provin- 
cial Council  of  New  Brunswick  ordered  that  they 
should  be  treated  as  a  conquered  province  and 
placed  under  martial  law.  The  fortifications  of 
Eastport  were  greatly  strengthened,  the  six  guns 
being  increased  to  sixty,  and  a  large  garrison  placed 
there.  But  provisions  were  extremely  scarce,  the 
men  deserted  in  great  numbers,  and  the  British  offi- 
cers were  often  seen  on  the  ramparts,  doing  duty  as 
sentinels. 

On  the  1st  of  September,  another  British  force 
entered  Penobscot  River.  The  small  American  gar- 
rison at  Castine  blew  up  the  fort  and  retreated,  and 
the  enemy  took  possession,  and  soon  issued  a  proc- 
lamation declaring  all  that  part  of  Maine  east  of  the 
Penobscot  to  be  conquered  territory.  It  contained 
about  forty  villages,  with  an  aggregate  of  more  than 
thirty  thousand  inhabitants. 

Captain  Morris,  after  a  successful  cruise,  had  re- 


'III 


270 


OPERATIONS  ALONG    THE   COAST. 


[1814. 


cently  arrived  in  the  Penobscot  with  the  American 
frigate  Adams,  and  taken  her  to  Hampden,  thirty- 
five  miles  up  the  river,  for  repairs.  The  British  com- 
mander sent  up  an  expedition  of  about  a  thousand 
men  to  capture  her,  and  Captain  Morris  made  all 
possible  preparations  for  defence.  He  erected  sev- 
eral batteries  on  the  shore,  collected  a  small  force 
of  militia  from  the  neighborhood,  and,  as  they  were 
unarmed,  put  the  ship's  muskets  into  their  hands. 
But  on  the  approach  of  the  British  regulars,  the 
militia  ran  away ;  and  Morris,  seeing  that  he  could 
not  save  his  vessel,  sent  away  his  sailors  and  ma- 
rines, who  retreated  across  a  bridge  over  a  deep 
creek.  He  and  a  few  men  whom  he  had  retained 
for  the  service  then  set  a  slow-match  to  the  maga- 
zine, and,  as  their  retreat  by  the  bridge  had  been 
cut  off,  swam  the  stream  and  escaped.  The  frigate 
was  blown  to  pieces,  and  the  enemy  returned  to 
Castine  with  neither  prisoners  nor  plunder.  But 
they  made  thenceforth  frequent  incursions  among 
the  towns  of  the  neighborhood,  and  freely  robbed 
the  inhabitants  of  what  little  property  they  had  that 
was  worth  taking. 

The  next  orders  issued  to  the  British  Commodore, 
Sir  Thomas  Hardy,  were  to  destroy  the  town  of  Ston- 
ington,  Connecticut  ;  which  he  found  a  very  different 
task  from  the  capture  of  Moose  Island.     With  two 


m 


1814.] 


OPERA  TIONS  ALONG   THE   COAST. 


271 


frigates,  a  brig,  and  a  bomb-vessel,  he  appeared  before 
the  town  on  the  9th  of  August,  and  sent  in  word 
that  he  should  begin  a  bombardment  in  one  hour. 
The  women  and  children  were  hastily  removed, 
and  the  men  repaired  to  the  defences  of  the  place. 
These  consisted  of  a  small  breastwork  and  three 
pieces  of  artillery  —  two  eighteen-pounders,  and  a 
six-pounder.  A  rude  flag-staff  was  erected,  and  a 
small  flag  nailed  to  it.  Those  who  had  been  trained 
as  artillerists  took  their  places  at  the  guns,  and  the 
remainder,  with  muskets,  were  placed  behind  the 
breastwork.  Word  was  sent  to  General  Gushing, 
commanding  at  New  London,  and  couriers  on  horse- 
back rode  through  the  surrounding  country  to  rally 
the  militia. 

It  was  toward  evening  when  Hardy  opened  his 
ports  and  fired  upon  the  town  every  kind  of  missile 
in  use  at  that  day  —  round-shot,  grape-shot,  canis- 
ter, bomb-shells,  carcasses,  rockets,  and  stink-pots. 
A  carcass  was  a  cylindrical  cage  or  framework  of 
iron,  covered  with  canvas  and  filled  with  combusti- 
bles, intended  to  set  the  buildings  on  fire.  About 
eight  o'clock,  while  the  bombardment  was  still 
going  on,  five  barges  and  a  launch  filled  with  men 
and  carrying  several  guns  approached  the  shore. 
The  Americans  permitted  them  to  come  within  close 
range,  and   then   poured  such  a  fire  of   grape-shot 


I 


»• 


272 


OPLRATIONS  ALONG    THE   COAST. 


[1814. 


into  them  from  the  two  eighteen-pounders  that 
they  were  very  soon  compelled  to  retire.  They 
then  sailed  around  to  the  eastern  side  of  the  little 
peninsula,  where  they  supposed  it  was  defenceless. 
But  the  Americans  dragged  the  six-pounder  across, 
and  were  ready  for  them.  With  this  gun  alone,  so 
rapidly  was  it  served  and  so  skilfully  handled,  they 
again  drove  off  the  fleet  of  barges. 

The  bombardment  was  kept  up  till  midnight,  and 
next  day  the  fleet  was  increased  by  the  arrival  of  an- 
other brig.  The  vessels  now  took  a  position  nearer  the 
shore,  and  the  action  was  reopened.  One  brig  was 
anchored  within  pistol-shot  of  the  battery,  at  which 
it  directed  its  guns.  But  the  old  eighteen-pounders 
sent  several  balls  through  her  between  wind  and 
water,  compelling  her  to  haul  off  and  repair  dam- 
ages. The  barges  made  an  attempt  to  land  a  force, 
as  on  the  day  before  ;  but  met  a  similar  reception 
and  once  more  retired.  One  of  the  barges  was  com- 
pletely torn  to  pieces  by  the  fire  of  the  six-pounder. 
The  fleet  then  drifted  out  of  reach  of  the  battery, 
but  kept  up  the  bombardment  at  long  range  during 
that  and  the  following  day.  On  the  12th,  Sir 
Thomas,  who  had  lost  twenty-one  men  killed  and 
more  than  fifty  wounded,  bore  up  and  sailed  away. 

Of  the  Americans,  six  had  been  slightly  wounded, 
and  one  mortally.     Of  the  hundred  houses  in  Ston- 


I8.4.J  OPERA  TIONS  ALONG    THE    COAST.  273 

ington,  forty  had  been  more  or  less  injured,  ten  of 
them  badly,  and  two  or  three  were  entirely  de- 
stroyed. The  enemy  had  thrown  in  more  than 
sixty  tons  of  metal.  Colonel  Randall,  the  com- 
manding officer,  received  high  praise  .or  the  mann-^r 
in  which  he  had  conducted  the  defence,  as  did  also 
Lieutenants  Lathrop  and  Hough. 

There  were  smaller  affairs  of  the  same  nature,  at 
various  points  along  the  New  England  coast.     At 
Wareham   the  enemy  landed  in  safety  by  means  of 
a  flag  of  truce,  and  then  burned  a  large  cotton  fac- 
tory  and  the  vessels  at  their  moorings.     At  Scituate 
also  they  burned   the  shipping.     But  at  Boothbay 
the  militia  rallied  and  drove  them  off  with  consider- 
able loss.     The  attempt  to  land  was   repeated  on 
several  different  days,  but  every  time  without  sue- 
cess. 


II! 


i!; 


iilii 


'  If 

I   , 

ill 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

THE  WASHINGTON   CAMPAIGN. 

Ross's  Expedition  against  Washington — Battle  of  Bladensburg — 
Destruction  of  the  Capital — Capitulation  of  Alexandria — Com- 
ments of  the  London  Times — Expedition  against  Baltimore — 
Death  of  Sir  Peter  Parker — Battle  of  North  Point — Death  of  Gen- 
eral Ross — Bombardment  of  Fort  McIIenry — How  a  Famous 
Song  was  written. 

But  these  little  affairs  along  the  coast  were  of 
small  consequence  in  comparison  with  what  be- 
fell the  capital  of  the  country.  Reheved  by  the 
peace  in  Europe,  the  English  Government  resolved 
to  prosecute  the  American  war  with  greater  vigor, 
and  fixed  upon  the  policy  of  striking  at  the  cities. 
Baltimore,  Washington,  Charleston,  Savannah,  and 
New  Orleans  were  all  marked  for  capture  or  de- 
struction. A  powerful  British  fleet  was  sent  to  the 
Bermudas,  and  a  large  number  of  veteran  troops 
transported  thither,  and  the  commanders  on  our 
coasts  were  directed  to  draw  thence  such  forces  as 
they  might  need  for  their  expeditions. 

That  Washington  was  likely  to  be  the  object  of 
a  hostile  demonstration  of  some  kind,  was  known  to 
the   Administration    for   months,    but    no   efficient 


ii 


^ 


1814] 


THE    WASHINGTON  CAMPAIGN. 


*n 


measures  were  taken  to  meet  it.  President  Madison 
and  General  Armstrong,  Secretary  of  War,  did  not 
like  each  other,  and  neither  man  was  large  enough 
not  to  let  his  personal  feelings  stand  in  the  way  of 
the  country's  interests.  When  the  President  urged 
that  something  should  be  done  to  avert  the  danger 
that  threatened  the  capital,  General  Armstrong 
opposed  the  proposition  with  such  abstruse  reasons 
as  that  "militia  were  always  most  effective  when 
first  called  out." 

The  only  effective  means  of  defence  consisted  of 
a  small  flotilla  commanded  by  Commodore  Joshua 
Barney,  who  sailed  the  waters  of  Chesapeake  Bay 
for  some  weeks,  continually  annoying  the  English 
fleet.  On  the  1st  of  June  he  had  an  engagement 
with  two  schooners  in  the  Patuxent,  and  drove  them 
off  with  hot  shot.  A  few  days  later,  he  was  chased 
into  St.  Leonard's  Creek,  where  he  formed  his 
boats  in  line  of  battle  across  the  channel  and  en- 
gaged the  enemy's  barges,  ultimately  chasing 
them  down  to  the  ships.  On  the  loth  he  was  at- 
tacked by  twenty  barges  and  two  schooners  ;  but 
he  beat  them  all  off,  and  so  severely  handled  one 
of  the  schooners,  an  eightecn-gun  vessel,  that  her 
crew  ran  her  aground  and  abandoned  her.  On  the 
26th,  with  the  help  of  a  corps  of  artillery  and  a  de- 
tachment of  the  marine  corps,  Barney  attacked  the 


iM 


s  HI: 


2.6 


THE    WASHINGTON  CAMPAIGN. 


[1814. 


whoiu  squadron  that  was  blockading  him  in  the  St. 
Leonard's,  and  after  a  fight  of  two  hours  compelled 
them  to  raise  the  blockade. 

General  Robert  Ross,  who  had  served  in  several 
campaigns  under  Wellington,  and  was  with  Sir 
John  Moore  when  he  fell  at  Corunna,  was  selected 
by  the  Duke  to  command  an  expedition  against 
Washington.  In  July,  with  three  thousand  five 
hundred  men,  the  f.nest  regiments  of  Wellington's 
army,  he  sailed  from  Bordeaux  for  the  Chesapeake, 
where  he  arrived  in  August,  and  was  at  once  reen- 
forced  by  a  thousand  marines  from  Cockburn's 
blockading  squadron,  and  a  hundred  negroes  from 
the  neighboring  plantations,  who  had  been  armed 
and  drilled  as  British  soldiers. 

The  District  of  Columbia  and  the  adjacent  coun- 
ties of  Virginia  and  Maryland  had  recently  been 
formed  into  a  military  district,  of  which  the  com- 
mand was  given  to  General  William  H.  Winder.  His 
forces  'Consisted  of  f.  /e  hundred  regulars  and  two 
thousand  militia.  On  the  approach  of  the  enemy, 
Maryland  and  Virginia  were  hastily  called  upon  for 
reenforcements  of  militia,  and  nearly  three  thou- 
sand came  from  Maryland ;  but  the  Virginians, 
from  delay  in  receiving  their  flints,  did  not  move 
till  the  fighting  was  over. 

Ross's  expedition  ascended  the  Patuxent,  and  on 


i8i4.] 


THE    WASHINGTON  CAMPAIGN. 


77 


the  morning  of  August  19th  his  troops  were  de- 
barked without  molestation  at  Benedict,  on  the 
western  or  right  bank,  torty  miles  southeast  of 
Washingto;  ,  He  had  twenty-seven  vessels,  and 
over  four  thousand  men. 

By  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  Commodore 
Barney  blew  up  his  little  flotilla,  and  with  his  five 
hundred  seamen  and  marines  retreated  to  Notting- 
ham, where  General  Winder  assigned  to  them  the 
management  of  the  artillery. 

The  weather  was  fearfully  hot,  and  the  enemy 
proceeded  by  slow  marches,  dozens  of  men  falling 
and  fainting  by  the  way.  It  was  remarked  at  the 
time  that  their  route  might  have  been  so  impeded 
by  felling  trees,  that  the  weather  and  the  labor 
of  removing  them  would  have  defeated  the  expedi- 
tion. But  nothing  of  the  sort  was  done.  Winder 
waited  in  a  chosen  position  at  Wood  Yard,  twelve 
miles  from  the  city,  to  give  battle.  But  Ross 
turned  to  the  right  after  reaching  Nottingham, 
taking  the  road  to  Marlborough,  where  Admiral 
Cockburn  joined  him  with  a  body  of  marines  and 
seamen.  The  Americans  fell  back  to  Battalion  Old 
Fields,  a  detachment  under  Major  Peters  skirmish- 
ing sharply  with  the  advancing  enemy,  and  on  the 
24th  to  Bladensburg,  six  miles  from  Washington, 
where  a  bridge  spanned  the  eastern  branch  of  the 


I 


% 


1 


278 


THE    WASHINGTON  CAMPAIGN. 


[1814. 


Potomac.  Here  they  made  a  stand,  taking  a  strong 
position  on  the  western  bank,  commanding  the 
bridge.  The  President  and  several  members  of  his 
Cabinet  were  on  the  field,  all  interfering  more  or  less 
with  the  military  arrangements.  Monroe  —  then 
Secretary  of  State,  afterward  President  —  who  had 
been  a  staff  officer  in  the  Continental  army  more 
than  thirty  years  before,  considered  himself  spe- 
cially qualified  as  a  military  meddler,  and  actually 
changed  the  disposition  of  some  of  Winder's  troops 
at  the  last  moment. 

It  could  not  be  expected  that  a  mass  of  raw  mili- 
tia, hastily  called  together,  and  hardly  know- 
ing by  whom  they  were  commanded,  would  stand 
long,  even  in  an  advantageous  position,  before  the 
onset  of  veteran  troops.  "  Come,  General  Arm- 
strong, ome,  Colonel  Monroe,"  said  the  Presi- 
dent, "lev  us  go,  and  leave  it  to  the  commanding 
General."  So  Mr.  Madison  and  his  Cabinet  left 
the  field,  and  it  was  not  long  before  the  militia  fol- 
lowed their  illustrious  example. 

The  ground  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  river, 
where  the  British  approached,  was  low  and  clear. 
On  the  western  it  rose  in  a  gradual  slope,  and  along 
the  stream  was  fringed  with  willows  and  larches. 
A  body  of  American  riflemen  was  posted  in  the 
shrubbery   that    lined    the   bank.     Three   hundred 


i8i4.] 


THE    WASHINGTON  CAMPAIGN. 


279 


yards  up  the  slope  was  a  slight  earthwork,  mount- 
ing six  guns,  supported  by  two  companies  of  Bal- 
timore volunteers.  General  Stansbury  had  posted 
three  regiments  to  the  right  of  it,  but  Secretary 
Monroe  had  moved  them  to  a  point  in  the  rear  of 
thfc  battery  and  five  hundred  yards  farther  up  the 
slope.  At  the  top  of  the  hill,  one  mile  from  the 
bridge,  was  formed  a  line  consisting  of  Maryland 
militia  on  the  right,  Barney's  seamen  and  marines 
in  the  centre,  a  detachment  of  regular  troops  and  a 
regiment  of  District  militia  on  the  left,  with  a  bat- 
tery of  six  guns  and  a  company  of  riflemen  in  front. 

The  enemy  entered  the  village  of  Bladensburg 
soon  after  noon  of  the  24th,  and  was  at  once  sub- 
jected to  a  fire  that  compelled  him  to  seek  the  shel- 
ter of  the  houses.  At  one  o'clock  the  advance 
column  rushed  at  the  double  quick  upon  the 
bridge,  where  it  met  a  concentrated  fire  from  the 
American  batteries  and  riflemen,  and  almost  en- 
tirely melted  away.  A  remnant,  however,  suc- 
ceeded in  crossing,  deployed  at  once,  and  advanced 
upon  the  first  line,  which  fell  back  and  permitted 
two  guns  to  be  lost. 

Elated  at  this  success,  the  thin  line  of  British 
troops  threw  off  their  knapsacks  and  advanced  tow- 
ard the  second  line,  without  waiting  for  another 
column  to  cross  the  bridge  to  their  support.     When 


if 


m 


-  -ii- 


u .: 


1 


m' 


l3o 


7V//E    IVASHINGTON  CAMPAIGN. 


[1814. 


General  Winder  saw  their  error,  he  placed  hinnself 
at  the  head  of  a  regiment  of  Baltimore  volunteers, 
gave  them  an  effective  volley,  and  then  made  a 
charge,  and  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet  drove  them 
down  to  the  very  brink  of  the  river,  where  with  dif- 
ficidty  they  maintained  their  foothold  under  the 
trees  till  another  brigade  had  crossed  the  bridge  to 
their  relief. 

One  regiment  of  these  fresh  troops  turned  the 
left  of  the  American  lin(  and  threw  in  some  Con- 
greve  rockets,  which  so  frightened  the  militia  on 
that  flank  that  they  broke  at  once  and  fled  in  con- 
fusion. The  regiment  headed  by  Winder  stood 
firm  till  both  its  flanks  were  turned,  when  it  retired, 
its  retreat  being  covered  hy  the  riflemen. 

The  enemy  then  attacked  the  remainder  of  the 
line,  all  of  which  soon  p"ave  way,  except  Barney's 
men,  who  kept  them  in  check  for  half  an  hour,  and 
with  the  fire  of  four  pieces  of  artillery  ploughed 
their  ranks  through  and  through.  But  when  the 
militia  broke,  the  teamsters  stampeded,  without 
stopping  to  unhitch  their  horses  from  the  ammuni- 
tion wagons.  Barney  was  thus  left  with  but  a  single 
round  of  ammunition,  while  the  enemy  was  gradu- 
ally gaining  a  position  upon  his  flank  ;  and  though 
many  of  his  men  were  acting  as  infantry  and 
behaved    admirably,    charging   several    times  with 


i8i4.] 


THE    WASHINGTON  CAMPAIGN. 


281 


great  effect,  he  was  obliged  to  order  a  retreat.  He 
himself  had  been  severely  wounded,  while  two  of 
his  principal  ofificers  were  killed,  and  two  others 
wounded.  He  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy, 
who  took  him  to  their  hospital  at  Bladensburg.  In 
this  action  the  Americans  had  lost  seventy-seven 
men  killed  or  wounded  ;  the  British,  more  than  five 
hundred.  Ross's  entire  loss,  including  deserters, 
prisoners,  and  those  who  succumbed  to  the  weather, 
was  said  to  be  nearly  a  thousand. 

But  no  serious  obstacle  now  stood  in  the  way  of 
General  Ross's  purpose  to  destroy  the  capital ;  and 
with  that  portion  of  his  force  which  had  not  been 
engaged,  he  marched  thither  without  the  loss  of  an 
hour,  arriving  at  eight  o'clock  that  evening. 

The  most  valuable  portion  of  the  public  archives 
had  been  removed  to  a  place  of  safety,  and  Mrs. 
Madison  had  managed  to  carry  away  the  original 
draft  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  a  portrait 
of  Washington  that  hung  in  the  White  House,  and 
a  few  other  articles  which  could  not  have  been 
replaced.  The  magazines  and  shipping  at  the 
Navy  Yard  had  already  been  fired  by  order  of  the 
Secretary  of  War,  and  everything  there  was  de- 
stroyed. 

It  is  said  that  General  Ross  offered  to  spare  the 
cit}'  for  a  price  ;  but  there  was  no  one  at  hand  who 


^b 


^  lUt 


282 


THE    WASHINGTON  CAMPAIGN. 


% 


[1814. 


1*  ■ 


could  treat  with  him,  if  the  authorities  had  been  in- 
clined to  purchase  its  safety.  He  expected  to  be 
attacked  by  a  more  formidable  force  than  that  he 
had  met  at  Bladensburg,  and,  as  he  wrote  to  Earl 
Bathurst,  "judging  it  of  consequence  to  complete 
the  destruction  of  the  public  buildings  with  the 
least  possible  delay,  so  that  the  army  might  retire 
without  loss  of  time,"  he  "without  a  moment's 
delay  burned  and  destroyed  everything  in  the  most 
distant  degree  connected  with  the  government." 
There  was  one  rotable  exception.  At  the  interces- 
sion of  Dr.  Thornton,  who  superintended  the  Patent 
Office,  the  building  containing  that  and  the  Post 
Office  was  spared  ;  because,  as  the  doctor  repre- 
sented, it  contained  great  numbers  of  models  and 
papers  which  were  of  value  to  the  whole  scientific 
world.  The  jail,  one  hotel,  and  a  few  dwellings 
also  escaped.  All  else,  including  the  President's 
house,  the  public  libraries,  and  the  new  Capitol— 
of  which  only  the  wings  had  been  built  —  was 
given  to  the  flames.  The  commanders  of  the  expe- 
dition distinguished  themselves  personally  in  this 
vandalism.  Admiral  Cochrane,  who  had  a  spite 
against  the  National  Intelligencer  because  of  its 
strictures  upon  his  marauding  exploits  along  the 
coast,  caused  the  office  to  be  sacked  and  the  type 
thrown  into  the  street,  and  with  his  own  hand  set 


1814.] 


THE    WASHINGTON  CAMPAIGN. 


283 


the  building  on  fire.  Admiral  Cockburn  is  said  to 
have  led  his  men  into  the  hall  of  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives, where  he  leaped  into  the  Speaker's 
chair  and  shouted,  "  Shall  this  harbor  of  Yankee 
democracy  be  burned  ?     All  for  it  will  say,  Aye  I" 

In  the  night  of  the  25th,  Ross  silently  withdrew 
from  the  city,  leaving  his  camp-fires  burning,  for  he 
expected  and  feared  pursuit,  and  marched  with  all 
that  remained  of  his  force  to  Benedict,  where  they 
reembarked. 

A  division  of  the  enemy's  fleet,  consisting  of  eight 
vessels,  ascended  the  Potomac  to  attack  the  city  of 
Alexandria.  Fort  Warburton,  a  small  work  in- 
tended for  its  defence,  was  destroyed  by  the  garri- 
son at  the  approach  of  the  ships,  and  with  no  oppo- 
sition they  passed  up  and  laid  the  town  under  their 
guns.  A  parley  was  had,  the  result  of  which  was 
that  the  dwellings  were  left  unmolested,  the  condi- 
tion being,  "the  immediate  delivery  [to  the  enemyj 
of  all  public  and  private  naval  and  ordnance  stores  ; 
of  all  shipping,  and  the  furniture  necessary  to  their 
equipment  then  in  port ;  of  all  the  merchandise  of 
every  description,  whether  in  the  town  or  removed 
from  it  since  the  19th  of  the  month  ;  that  such 
merchandise  should  be  put  on  board  the  shipping  at 
the  expense  of  the  owners  ;  and  that  all  vessels 
which  might  have  been  sunk  upon  the  approach  of 


I 


284 


THE    WASHINGTON  CAMPAIGN. 


[1814. 


the  fleet  should  be  raised  by  the  merchants  and 
delivered  up  with  all  their  apparatus."  These  con- 
ditions, hard  as  they  were,  were  complied  with,  and 
on  the  6th  of  September  the  fleet,  loaded  with 
booty,  returned  down  the  river.  Two  batteries  on 
the  shore — at  White  House  and  Indian  Head, 
commanded  by  Captains  Porter  and  Perry,  of  the 
navy  —  damaged  it  considerably  as  it  passed,  but 
were  not  able  to  stop  it. 

If  the  importance  of  General  Ross's  exploit  was 
overrated  by  the  Americans,  who  naturally  felt 
chagrined  that  so  small  an  invading  force  should 
have  destroyed  their  capital  and  momentarily  dis- 
persed their  Government,  it  was  enormously  exag- 
gerated by  the  English  journals.  By  confounding 
the  capital  of  the  country  with  its  metropolis,  they 
led  their  readers  to  believe  that  the  chief  city  of  the 
United  States  had  been  laid  in  ashes ;  whereas 
Washington  was  but  a  straggling  place  of  eight 
thousand  inhabitants,  which  had  been  made  the 
seat  of  the  Federal  Government  but  a  dozen  years 
before.  Taking  it  for  granted  that  what  would 
have  befallen  England  or  France  with  London  or 
Paris  in  the  possession  of  a  foreign  enemy,  had  act- 
ually befallen  the  United  States,  the  London  Times 
proceeded  to  say:  "The  ill-organized  association 
is  on  the  eve  of  dissolution,  and  the  world  is  speed- 


l8i4] 


THE    WASHINGTON  CAMPAIGN. 


a85 


ily  to  be  delivered  of  the  mischievous  example  of 
the  existence  of  a  government  founded  on  demo- 
cratic rebellion."  In  another  issue,  October  9th, 
18 14,  it  said  :  "  Next  to  the  anniliilation  of  the  late 
military  despotism  in  Europe,  the  subversion  of 
that  system  of  fraud  and  malignity  which  consti- 
tutes the  whole  policy  of  the  Jeffersonian  school, 
was  an  event  to  be  devoutly  wished  by  every  man 
in  either  hemisphere  who  regards  rational  liberty  or 
the  honorable  intercourse  of  nations.  It  was  an 
event  to  which  we  should  have  bent,  and  yet  must 
bend,  all  our  energies.  The  American  Government 
must  be  displaced,  or  it  will  sooner  or  later  plant  its 
poisoned  dagger  in  the  heart  of  the  parent  state." 
In  a  speech  in  Parliament,  Sir  Gilbert  Heathcote 
naively  said,  "  it  appeared  to  him  that  we  feared 
the  rising  power  of  America,  and  wished  to  curtail 
it."  Which,  as  the  Scottish  captain  in  the  stor} 
said,  was  "  a  verra  just  remark." 

In  the  night  of  Augur.t  30th,  Sir  Peter  Parker, 
commander  of  the  frigate  Menelaus,  who  had  been 
blockading  Baltimore  with  that  and  another  vessel, 
landed  on  the  Eastern  Shore,  with  two  hundred  and 
thirty  men,  intending  to  surprise  and  capture  a 
small  body  of  Maryland  volunteers  at  Moorfields. 
But  the  Maryland  men  were  ready  for  them,  and 
after  a  sharp  fight  of  about  an  hour  the  British  re- 


286 


THE    WASHINGTON  CAMPAIGN. 


[1814. 


treated,  leaving  sixteen  of  their  men  killed  or 
wounded  on  the  field,  and  bearing  away  seventeen 
others,  among  whom  was  Sir  Peter,  who  died  al- 
most as  soon  as  he  reached  his  ship.  Three  of  the 
Americans  were  wounded. 

Rightly  conjectuiing  that  Baltimore  would  be  the 
next  place  at  which  the  enemy  would  strike,  the 
people  of  that  city  had  made  haste  to  provide  for 
its  defence.  The  fortifications  were  extended,  and 
manned  by  about  five  thousand  men.  On  the  nth 
of  September,  forty  British  war-vessels  appeared  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Patapsco,  and  that  night  eight 
thousand  men,  under  General  Ross,  were  landed  at 
North  Point,  a  dozen  miles  below  the  city.  No  re- 
sistance was  offered  till  they  had  marched  four  miles 
up  the  little  peninsula,  when  they  were  met  by  Gen- 
eral John  Strieker  with  three  thousand  two  hun- 
dred men,  including  an  artillery  company  with  six 
small  guns,  and  a  detachment  of  cavalry. 

The  cavalry  and  a  hundred  and  fifty  riflemen 
were  thrown  forward  to  feel  the  enemy.  General 
Ross,  who  had  declared  that  he  "did  n't  care  if  it 
rained  militia,"  and  had  expressed  his  intention  of 
making  winter  quarters  in  Baltimore,  put  himself  at 
the  head  of  his  advance  guard,  and  promptly  at- 
tacked. But  as  he  rode  along  the  crest  of  a  little 
knoll,  he  was  shot  in  the  side  by  an  American  rifle- 


I8i4.] 


THE    WASHINGTON  CAMPAIGN. 


287 


man,  and  before  his  aides  could  bear  him  back  to 
the  boats,  he  expired. 

Notwithstanding  the  loss  of  their  leader,  the 
British  forces  rushed  stead' iy  forward,  drove  the 
American  skirmishers  back  upon  the  main  line,  and 
brought  on  a  general  engageiaent.  The  battle 
lasted  two  or  three  hours  with  varying  fortune,  till 
a  heavy  attack  on  the  Amer  n  left  turned  it, 
when  the  whole  body  retreated  to  an  intrenched 
position  near  the  city. 

The  British  followed  the  next  day,  but  found 
their  enemy  strongly  placed  and  reenforced,  where- 
upon they  took  advantage  of  a  dark  night  and  re- 
traced their  steps.  They  had  lost  two  hundred  and 
ninety  men,  killed  or  wounded,  and  had  inflicted 
upon  the  Americans  a  loss  of  two  hundred  and  thir- 
teen, including  fifty  prisoners.  This  action  is  known 
as  the  battle  of  North  Point,  but  has  sometimes 
been  called  the  battle  of  Long-log  Lane. 

While  Ross's  men  were  approaching  Baltimore 
by  land,  sixteen  vessels  of  the  British  fleet  moved 
up  the  bay,  and  opened  fire  upon  its  immediate  de- 
fences. The  shallowness  of  the  water  prevented 
them  from  getting  near  enough  to  bombard  the 
town  itself ;  but  for  twenty-four  hours  they  poured 
an  almost  uninterrupted  shower  of  rockets  and 
shells  into  Fort  Mc Henry,  Fort  Covington,  and  the 


I.' 


288 


THE    WASHINGTON  CAMPAIGN. 


[1814. 


connecting  intrcnchnncnts.  Most  of  the  firing  was 
at  long  range  ;  whenever  any  of  the  vessels  came 
within  reach  of  the  batteries,  they  were  subjected 
to  a  fire  that  quickly  drove  them  back,  and  in  some 
cases  sank  them.  Fort  McHenry,  garrisoned  by 
six  hundred  men  under  Major  George  Armistead, 
bore  the  brunt  of  the  attack. 

At  the  dead  of  night  the  enemy  attempted  to 
land  a  strong  force  above  the  forts,  for  an  attack  in 
the  rear  ;  but  it  was  discovered  and  subjected  to  a 
concentrated  fire  of.  red-hot  shot,  which  speedily 
drove  it  off  with  serious  loss.  This  practically  put 
an  end  to  the  attempt  to  take  Baltimore,  and  a  few 
hours  later  the  fleet  withdrew.  The  loss  of  the 
Americans  by  the  bombardment  was  four  killed  and 
twenty-four  wounded.  The  loss  in  the  fleet  is  un- 
known. 

This  bombardment  of  Fort  McHenry  gave  us  one 
of  our  national  songs.  Francis  S.  Key  had  gone 
out  to  the  British  fle'et  in  a  row-boat,  under  a  flag 
of  truce,  to  ask  for  the  release  on  parole  of  a  friend 
who  had  been  made  prisoner.  Admiral  Cockburn, 
who  had  just  completed  his  plans  for  the  attack, 
detained  him,  and  in  his  little  boat,  moored  to  the 
side  of  the  flag-ship,  he  sat  and  watched  the  bom- 
bardment. When  the  second  morning  broke,  and 
he  saw  that  the  flag  of  the  fort  —  which  Cockburn 


i8i4.]  THE    WASHINGTON  CAMPAIGN. 


989 


had  boasted  would  "  yield  in  a  few  hours"  —  was 
still  flying,  he  took  an  old  letter  out  of  his  pocket, 
and  on  the  back  of  it  wrote  the  first  draft  of  •'  The 
Star-Spangled  Banner."  The  flag  is  now  in  the 
possession  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society. 


I  if 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

NAVAL  BATTLES   OF   1814. 

Porter's  Cruise  in  the  Essex — His  Campaign  Against  the  Typees— 
Destruction  of  the  British  A^haling  Interest  in  the  Pacific — Battle 
with  the  Phabe  and  the  Chei-tib — The  Peacock  and  the  Epervier — 
The  Wasp  and  the  Reindeer — The  Wasp  and  the  Avon — Destruc- 
tion of  the  General  Armstrong — Loss  of  the  President — The  Con- 
stitution Captures  the  Cyane  and  the  Levant — The  Hornet  and  the 
Penguin. 

The  naval  contests  of  18 14  and  the  winter  of 
1815  repeated  and  emphasized  the  lesson  of  the  first 
year  of  the  war  ;  they  were  all,  with  but  two  excep- 
tions, American  victories. 

The  remarkable  cruise  of  the  Essex,  commanded 
by  Captain  David  Porter,  begun  late  in  18 12,  ex- 
tended along  the  coast  of  South  America,  around 
Cape  Horn,  and  throughout  almost  the  entire  east- 
ern half  of  the  Pacific,  ending  in  a  bloody  battle  in 
the  harbor  of  Valparaiso,  in  March,  18 14.  The 
prizes  taken  in  the  Atlantic  were  of  little  value,  ex- 
cept one.  The  packet  ship  Nocton,  captured  just 
south  of  the  equator,  had  $55,000  in  specie  on 
board,  with  which  Porter  subsequently  paid  off  his 
men.     She  was  put  in  charge  of  a  prize  crew,  and 


iSi3.] 


NAVAL   BATTLES. 


291 


sailed  tor  the  United  States,  but  was  recaptured  on 
the  way  by  a  British  frigate. 

Porter  had  sailed  under  orders  to  meet  Commo- 
dore Bainbridgc,  who  had  gone  to  sea  with  the  Con- 
stitution and  the  Hornet.  But  after  failing  to  find 
either  of  those  vessels  at  three  successive  rendez- 
vous, he  determined  to  carry  out  a  plan-which  he 
had  submitted  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  some 
time  before,  for  a  cruise  against  the  British  whalers 
in  the  Pacific.  After  the  usual  stormy  passage,  he 
doubled  Cape  Horn  in  February,  18 13.  His  de- 
scription of  one  of  the  gales  shows  us  that  the 
greatest  dangers  undergone  by  a  man-of-war  are  not 
always  from  the  guns  of  the  enemy. 

"  It  was  with  no  little  joy  we  now  saw  ourselves 
fairly  in  the  Pacific  Ocean,  calculating  on  a  speedy 
end  to  all  our  sufferings.  We  began  also  to  form 
our  projects  for  annoying  the  enemy,  and  had 
already  equipped,  in  imagination,  one  of  their  ves- 
sels of  fourteen  or  sixteen  guns,  and  manned  her 
from  the  Essex,  to  cruise  against  their  commerce. 
Indeed,  various  were  the  schemes  we  formed  at  this 
time,  and  had  in  fancy  immense  wealth  to  return 
with  to  our  country.  But  the  wind  freshened  up  to 
a  gale,  and  by  noon  had  reduced  us  to  our  storm 
stay-sail  and  close-reefed  main-top-sail.  In  the  after- 
noon it  hauled  around  to  the  westward,  and  blew 


m 


u 


292 


NAVAL  BATTLES. 


[1813. 


with  a  fury  far  exceeding  anything  we  had  yet 
experienced,  bringing  with  it  such  a  tremendous  sea 
as  to  threaten  us  every  moment  with  destruction, 
and  Jifcpalled  the  stoutest  heart  on  board.  Our 
sails,  our  standing  and  running  rigging,  from  the 
succession  of  bad  weather,  had  become  so  damaged 
as  to  be  no  longer  trustworthy  ;  we  took,  however, 
the  best  means  in  our  power  to  render  everything 
secure,  and  carried  as  heavy  a  press  of  sail  as  the 
ship  would  bear,  to  keep  her  from  drifting  on  the 
coast  of  Patagonia,  which  we  had  reason  to  believe 
was  not  far  distant. 

"  From  the  excessive  violence  with  which  the 
wind  blew,  we  had  strong  hopes  that  it  would  be  of 
short  continuance  ;  until,  worn  out  with  fatigue  and 
anxiety,  greatly  alarmed  with  the  terrors  of  a  lee 
shore,  and  in  momentary  expectation  of  the  loss  of 
our  masts  and  bowsprit,  we  almost  considered  our  sit- 
uation hopeless.  To  add  to  our  distress,  our  pumps 
had  become  choked  by  the  shingle  ballast,  which, 
from  the  violent  rolling  of  the  ship,  had  got  into 
them,  and  the  sea  had  increased  to  such  a  height  as  to 
threaten  to  swallow  us  at  every  instant.  The  whole 
ocean  was  one  continual  foam  of  breakers,  and  the 
heaviest  squall  that  I  ever  experienced  had  not 
equalled  in  violence  the  most  moderate  intervals  of 
this  tremendous  hurricane.     We  had,  however,  done 


I8i3.] 


NAVAL  BATTLES 


293 


all  that  lay  in  our  power  to  preserve  the  ship,  and 
turned  our  attention  to  our  pumps,  which  we  were 
enabled  to  clear,  and  to  keep  the  ship  from  drifting 
on  shore,  by  getting  on  the  most  advantageap^s  tack. 
We  were  enabled  to  wear  but  once  ;  for  the  violence 
of  the  wind  and  sea  was  such  as  afterward  to  render 
it  impossible  to  attempt  it,  without  hazarding  the 
destruction  of  the  ship  and  the  loss  of  every  life  on 
board.  Our  fatigue  had  been  constant  and  exces- 
sive ;  many  had  been  severely  bruised  by  being 
thrown,  by  the  violent  jerks  of  the  ship,  down  the 
hatchways,  and  I  was  particularly  unfortunate  in 
receiving  three  severe  falls,  which  at  length  disabled 
me  from  going  on  deck. 

"  We  had  shipped  several  heavy  seas,  that  would 
have  proved  destructive  to  almost  any  other  ship. 
About  three  o'clock  of  the  morning  of  the  3d,  the 
watch  only  being  on  deck,  an  enormous  sea  broke 
over  the  ship,  and  for  an  instant  destroyed  every 
hope.  Our  gun-deck  ports  were  burst  in,  both  boats 
on  the  quarter  stove,  our  spare  spars  washed  from 
the  chains,  our  head-rails  washed  away,  and  ham- 
mock stanchions  burst  in,  and  the  ship  perfectly 
deluged  and  water-logged.  Immediately  after  this 
tremendous  shock,  which  threw  the  crew  into  con- 
sternation, the  gale  began  to  abate,  and  in  the 
morning  we  were  enabled  to  set  our  reefed  foresail. 


nn 


n. 


M 


294 


NAVAL   BATTLES. 


[1813, 


In  the  height  of  the  gale,  Lewis  Price,  a  marine, 
who  had  long  been  confined  with  a  pulmonary  com- 
plaint, departed  this  life,  and  was  in  the  morning 
committ.ed  to  the  deep  ;  but  the  violence  of  the  sea 
was  such  that  the  crew  could  not  be  permitted  to 
come  on  deck  to  attend  the  ceremony  of  his  burial, 
as  their  weight  would  have  strained  and  endangered 
the  safety  of  the  ship. 

"  When  this  last  sea  broke  on  board  us,  one  of 
the  prisoners  exclaimed  that  the  ship's  broadside 
was  stove  in,  and  that  she  was  sinking.  This  alarm 
was  greatly  calculated  to  increase  the  fears  of  those 
below,  who,  from  the  immense  torrent  of  water  that 
was  rushing  down  the  hatchways,  had  reason  to  be- 
lieve the  truth  of  his  assertion.  Many  who  were 
washed  from  the  spar-  to  the  gun-deck,  and  from 
their  hammocks,  and  did  not  know  the  extent  of 
the  injury,  were  also  greatly  alarmed  ;  but  the  men 
at  the  wheel,  and  some  others,  who  were  enabled  by 
a  good  grasp  to  keep  their  stations,  distinguished 
themselves  by  their  coolness  and  activity  after  the 
shock." 

Porter  touched  at  the  island  of  Mocha,  and  after- 
ward ran  into  the  harbor  of  Valparaiso,  where  he 
learned  that  his  arrival  in  the  Pacific  was  most 
opportune  ;  for  there  were  many  American  whalers 
that  had  left  home  before  the  war  began,  and  knew 


'V^/. 


% 


z 

< 
u 
o 
o 

o 
u 

CU 

a: 


u 


u 

O 
Q 
O 

o 

u 


'i 


i:l 

1 

'IhI  ii 

iil 

n:iu 


— 


I8i3] 


NAVAL   BATTLES. 


295 


nothing  of  it,  while  some  English  whalers,  sailing 
later,  had  taken  out  letters  of  marque,  and  carried 
guns,  and  were  making  prizes  of  the  unsuspecting 
Americans. 

Porter  soon  captured  a  Peruvian  privateer,  and 
two  English  whalers,  and  recaptured  an  American 
ship  that  had  been  taken  by  the  enemy.  One  of 
the  whalers  carried  six  guns,  and  the  other  ten. 
He  placed  the  entire  armament  in  the  faster 
sailer,  cut  away  her  try-works,  and  with  some  other 
alterations  converted  her  into  a  war-vessel,  giving 
the  command  of  her  to  John  Downes,  his  first  lieu- 
tenant. Subsequently  a  still  better  ship  for  the  pur- 
pose was  captured,  and  the  armament  was  shifted  to 
that,  which  was  then  re-christened  Essex  Junior. 

With  these  two  ships  Porter  scoured  the  ocean  for 
the  next  six  months,  and  took  numerous  prizes, 
nearly  all  English  whalers,  several  of  which  had 
armed  themselves  as  privateers.  One  he  loaded 
with  oil  and  sent  home.  Two  or  three,  as  he  could 
spare  no  more  men  for  prize  crews,  he  disarmed  and 
allowed  to  go  home  in  charge  of  their  own  crews, 
carrying  also  the  other  prisoners,  all  of  whom  were 
paroled.  One  captain,  whom  he  found  cruising  as 
a  privateer  without  a  commission  as  such,  he  put  in 
irons,  to  be  tried  as  a  pirate  when  the  Essex  should 
return    home.     In   that    six    months.     Porter    and 


'\ 


1 


; , 


*;?'.j 


296 


NAVAL  BATTLES. 


[1813. 


Downcs  had  captured  four  thousand  tons  of  British 
shipping,  taking  four  hundred  prisoners  ;  and  as 
they  could  now  hear  of  no  more  in  that  part  of  the 
Pacific,  they  went  in  October  to  the  Marquesas 
Islands,  to  refit  their  vessels  and  let  the  crews  have 
a  rest  and  a  run  on  shore. 

There  in  the  beautiful  harbor  of  Nukahiva  they 
made  repairs  and  wooded  and  watered  at  their  lei- 
sure. Porter  formally  took  possession  of  the  island 
in  the  name  of  the  United  States,  called  it  Madi- 
son's Island,  and  the  harbor  Massachusetts  Bay, 
and  built  a  fort  on  the  shore,  in  which  he  mounted 
four  guns.  Near  the  fort  he  constructed  a  small 
village,  consisting  of  six  houses,  a  rope-walk,  a 
bakery,  and  other  buildings,  which  he  named  Madi- 
sonville.  His  "  Journal  "  gives  an  interesting  ac- 
count of  their  life  for  four  or  five  weeks  among  the 
natives  of  that  romantic  and  then  almost  unknown 
group.  One  of  the  most  exciting  incidents  of  it  was 
a  war  between  two  tribes — the  Happahs  and  the 
Typees — occupying  different  parts  of  the  island. 
All  the  tribes  of  the  island  except  the  Typees  had 
made  a  sort  of  treaty  of  friendship  and  alliance  with 
Porter.  As  he  and  his  men  were  guests  of  the  Hap- 
pahs, and  the  Typees  had  begun  to  treat  them  as 
enemies,  Porter  felt  obliged  to  join  in  the  war,  when 
the   superiority   of    the    fire-arms    over   the   native 


I8i3.] 


NA  VAL    DA  TILES. 


297 


weapons  ended  it  in  the  disastrous  defeat  of  the 
Typees.  But  this  was  not  accomplished  without 
severe  fighting,  in  which  the  Typees  exhibited  the 
most  determined  courage,  and  a  great  degree  of  mil- 
itary skill,  making  the  best  of  such  weapons  and 
advantages  as  they  had.  Porter's  campaign  in  the 
Typee  valley  is  one  of  the  most  singular  episodes  in 
all  the  annals  of  war,  and  the  reader  will  probably 
be  interested  in  some  passages  from  his  account  of 
it,  though  it  has  no  necessary  connection  with  the 
subject  to  which  this  volume  is  devoted. 

"  We  arrived  at  the  Typee  landing  at  sunrise,  and 
were  joined  by  ten  war-canoes  from  the  Ilappahs. 
The  Essex  Jmiior  soon  after  arrived  and  anchored. 
The  tops  of  all  the  neighboring  mountains  were 
covered  with  the  Taeeh  and  Ilappah  warriors,  armed 
with  their  spears,  clubs,  and  slings.  The  beach  was 
covered  with  the  warriors  who  came  with  the 
canoes,  and  who  jo'ned  us  from  the  hills.  Our 
force  did  not  amount  to  a  less  number  than  five 
thousand  men  ;  but  not  a  Typee  or  any  of  their 
dwellings  were  to  be  seen.  For  the  whole  length  of 
the  beach,  extending  upward  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile, 
was  a  clear  level  plain  which  extended  back  about 
one  hundred  yards.  A  high  and  almost  impene- 
trable swampy  thicket  bordered  on  this  plain,  and 


\ 


i; 


.1. 


% 


m 


298 


NAVAL  BATTLES. 


[1813. 


the  only  trace  wc  could  perceive  which,  we  were 
informed,  led  to  the  habitations,  was  a  narrow  path- 
way which  winded  through  the  swamp. 

"  The  canoes  were  all  hauled  on  the  beach,  the 
Taeehs  on  the  right,  the  Happahs  on  the  left,  and 
our  four  boats  in  the  centre.  We  only  waited  for 
reenforcements  from  the  Essex  Junior,  our  inter- 
preter, our  ambassadors,  and  Gattanewa  [chief  of 
the  Happahs].  I  went  on  board  to  hasten  them  on 
shore,  and  on  my  return  to  the  beach  I  found  every- 
one in  arms.  The  Typces  had  appeared  in  the 
bushes,  and  had  pelted  our  people  with  stones  while 
they  were  quietly  eating  their  breakfast. 

"  I  had  a  man  with  me  who  had  intermarried  with 
the  Typecs,  and  was  privileged  to  go  among  them, 
and  I  furnished  him  with  a  white  flag  and  sent  him 
to  tell  them  I  had  come  to  offer  peace,  but  was 
prepared  for  war.  In  a  few  minutes  he  came  run- 
ning back,  and  informed  me  he  had  met  in  the 
bushes  an  ambuscade  of  Typees,  who  had  threat- 
ened to  put  him  to  death  if  he  again  ventured 
among  them.  In  an  instant  afterward  a  shower  of 
stones  came  from  the  bushes,  and  at  the  same  mo- 
ment one  of  the  Typees  darted  across  the  pathway 
and  was  shot  through  the  leg,  but  was  carried  off  by 
his  friends. 

*'  Lieutenant  Downes  arrived  with  his  men,  and  I 


I813.J 


NAVAL  BATTLES. 


999 


ijavc  the  order  to  march.  We  entered  the  bushes, 
and  were  at  every  instant  assailed  by  spears  and 
stones,  which  came  from  different  parts  of  the 
enemy  in  ambuscade.  We  could  hear  the  snapping 
of  the  slings,  the  whistling  of  the  stones  ;  the  s^-ears 
came  quivering  by  us,  but  we  could  not  perceive 
from  whom  they  came.  No  enemy  was  to  be  seen, 
not  a  whisper  was  to  be  heard  among  them. 

**  We  had  advanced  about  a  mile,  and  came  to  a 
small  opening  on  the  bank  of  a  river,  from  the 
thicket  on  the  opposite  side  of  which  we  were  as- 
sailed with  a  shower  of  stones,  when  Lieutenant 
Downes  received  a  blow  which  shattered  the  bone 
of  his  left  leg,  and  he  fell.  The  allied  tribes  sat  as 
silent  observers  of  our  operations  ;  the  sides  of  the 
mountains  were  still  covered  with  them,  and  I  as 
well  as  the  Taechs  had  no  slight  grounds  to  doubt 
the  fidelity  of  the  Happahs.  A  defeat  would  have 
scaled  our  destruction. 

**  The  Indians  began  to  leave  us,  and  all  depend- 
ed on  our  own  exertions.  I  directed  Mr.  Shaw  with 
four  men  to  escort  Lieutenant  Downes  to  the  beach, 
which  reduced  the  number  of  my  men  to  twenty- 
four.  We  soon  came  to  a  place  for  fording  the 
river,  in  the  thick  bushes  of  the  opposite  bank  of 
which  the  Typees  made  a  bold  stand.  We  endeav- 
ored in  vain  to  clear  the  bushes  with  our  musketry. 


1 


t 


300 


NAVAL  BATTLES. 


[1813. 


The  stones  and  spears  flew  with  augmented  num- 
bers. I  directed  a  volley  to  be  fired,  three  cheers  to 
be  given,  and  to  dash  across  the  river.  We  soon 
gained  the  opposite  bank,  and  continued  our  march, 
rendered  still  more  difficult  by  the  underwood, 
which  was  here  so  interlaced  as  to  make  it  neces- 
sary sometimes  to  crawl  on  our  hands  and  knees. 

"  On  emerging  from  the  swamp,  we  perceived  a 
stropf^  and  extensive  wall  of  seven  feet  in  height, 
raised  on  an  eminence  crossing  our  road,  and  flanked 
on  each  side  by  an  impenetrable  thicket.  In  an  in- 
stant afterward  we  were  assailed  by  such  a  shower 
of  stones,  accompanied  by  the  most  horrid  yells,  as 
left  no  doubt  that  we  had  here  to  encounter  their 
principal  strength.  A  tree  Vv^hich  afforded  shelter 
from  their  stones '  enabled  me,  accompanied  by 
Lieutenant  Gamble,  to  annoy  them  as  they  rose 
above  the  wall  to  throw  at  us  ;  but  these  were  the 
only  muskets  that  could  be  employed  to  advantage. 

"  Finding  we  could  not  dislodge  them,  I  gave 
orders  for  taking  the  place  by  storm.  But  some  of 
my  men  had  expended  all  their  cartridges,  few  had 
more  than  three  or  four  remaining,  and  our  only 
safety  depended  on  holding  our  ground  till  we  could 
procure  a  fresh  supply.  I  despatched  Lieutenant 
Gamble  and  four  men  to  the  Essex  Junior,  and  from 
the  time  of  their  departure  we  were  chiefly  occupied 


I8i3.] 


NAVAL   BATTLES. 


301 


in  eluding  the  stones,  which  came  with  redoubled 
force  and  numbers.  Three  of  my  men  were  knocked 
down  by  them.  As  a  feint,  we  retreated  a  few 
paces,  and  in  an  instant  the  Indians  rushed  on  us 
with  hideous  yells.  The  first  and  second  that  ad- 
vanced were  killed  at  the  distance  of  a  few  paces, 
and  those  who  attempted  to  carry  them  off  were 
wounded.  They  abandoned  their  dead,  and  precip- 
itately retrc^^ed  to  their  fort  Taking  advantage  of 
the  terror  they  were  thrown  into,  we  marched  off  with 
our  wounded,  returning  to  the  beach  much  fatigued 
and  with  no  contemptible  opinion  of  the  enemy. 

"  The  next  day  I  determined  to  proceed  with  a 
force  which  I  believed  they  could  not  resist,  and 
selected  two  hundred  men  from  the  Essex,  the  Essex 
Junior,  and  the  prizes.  As  some  of  the  boats  were 
leaky,  I  determined  to  go  by  land,  over  the  moun- 
tain ridge.  We  had  a  fine,  moonlight  night,  and  I 
hoped  to  be  down  in  the  Typee  valley  long  before 
daylight. 

"  Not  a  whisper  was  heard  from  one  end  of  the 
line  to  the  other.  Our  guides  marched  in  front, 
and  we  followed  in  silence  up  and  down  the  steep 
sides  of  rocks  and  mountains,  through  rivulets, 
thickets,  and  reed-brakes,  and  by  the  sides  of  preci- 
pices which  sometimes  caused  us  to  shudder.  At 
twelve  o'clock  we  could  hoar  the  drums  beatincf  in 


^r 


S' 


ii; 


^\ 


'M, 
it 


h(,l 


1^'; 


'1 


3°  2 


NAVAL  BATTLES. 


[1S13. 


the  Typee  valley,  accompanied  by  loud  singing, 
and  the  number  of  lights  in  different  parts  c-f  it  in- 
duced me  to  believe  they  were  rejoicing,  I  in- 
quired the  cause,  snd  was  informed  by  the  Indians 
that  they  were  celebrating  the  victory  they  had  ob- 
tained over  us,  and  calling  on  their  gods  to  give 
them  rain  in  order  that  it  might  render  our  bouhie? 
[muskets]  useless. 

"The  Indians  told  us  it  would  be  impossible  to 
descend  without  daylight  ;  and  when  it  was  light 
enough  to  see  down  the  valley,  we  were  surprised 
at  the  height  and  steepness.  A  narrow  pathway 
pointed  out  the  track,  but  it  was  soon  lost  among 
the  cliffs.  Before  I  left  the  hill,  I  determined  by 
firing  a  volley  to  show  the  natives  that  our  muskets 
had  not  received  as  much  injury  as  they  had  expect- 
ed from  the  rain.  As  soon  as  they  heard  the  report, 
and  discovered  our  number,  which,  with  the  multi- 
tude of  Indians  of  both  tribes  who  had  now  assem- 
bled, was  very  numerous,  they  shouted,  beat  their 
drums,  and  blew  their  war-conchs  from  one  end  of 
the  valley  to  the  other  ;  and  what  with  the  squeal- 
ing of  the  hogs,  which  they  now  began  to  catch,  the 
screaming  of  the  women  and  children,  and  the  yell- 
ing of  tl  e  men,  the  din  was  horrible. 

"  We  descended  with  great  difficulty  into  the  vil- 
lage of  the  Happahs,  where  everything  bore  the  ap- 


I8i3.] 


NAVAL   BATTLES. 


z°:i 


pearance  of  a  hostile  disposition  on  their  part.  I 
sent  for  their  chief,  and  required  to  know  if  they 
were  hostilely  disposed.  I  told  him  it  was  necessary 
we  should  have  something  to  eat,  and  that  I  ex- 
pected his  people  to  bring  us  hogs  a.id  fruit,  and  if 
they  did  not  do  so,  I  should  be  under  the  necessity 
of  sending  out  parties  to  shoot  the  hogs  and  cut 
down  their  fruit-trees,  as  our  people  were  too 
fatigued  to  climb  them.  I  also  directed  that  they 
should  lay  by  their  spears  and  clubs.  No  notice 
being  taken  of  these  demands,  I  caused  many  of 
their  spears  and  clubs  to  be  taken  from  them  and 
broken,  and  sent  parties  out  to  shoot  hogs,  while 
others  were  employed  in  cutting  down  cocoanut  and 
banana  trees  until  we  had  a  sufficient  supply.  Tiie 
chiefs  and  people  now  became  intimidated,  and 
brought  baked  hogs  in  greater  abundance  than  was 
required. 

"  At  daylight  next  morning  the  line  of  march  was 
formed.  On  ascending  the  ridge  where  we  had 
passed  such  a  disagreeable  night,  we  halted  to  take 
breath,  and  view  for  a  few  minutes  the  delightful 
valley  which  was  soon  to  become  a  scene  of  desola- 
tion. We  had  a  distant  view  of  e'/ery  part.  The 
valley  was  about  nine  miles  in  length,  and  three  or 
four  in  breadth,  surrounded  on  every  part,  except 
the   beach,   by   lofty  mountains.     The   upper   part 


'-f 


H 


iA 


it;; 

if 

I- 


|1 


^y^-m 


m 


i-M 


304 


NAVAL   BATTLES. 


[1813. 


was  bounded  by  a  precipice  many  hundred  feet  in 
height,  from  the  top  of  which  a  handsome  sheet  of 
water  was  precipitated,  and  formed  a  beautiful  river 
which  ran  meandering  through  the  valley.  Villages 
were  scattered  here  and  there  ;  the  bread-fruit  and 
cocoanut  trees  flourished  luxuriantly  and  in  abun- 
dance ;  plantations  laid  out  in  good  order,  enclosed 
with  stone  walls,  were  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation  ; 
and  everything  bespoke  industry,  abundance,  and 
happiness.  Never  in  my  life  did  I  witness  a  more 
delightful  scene  or  experience  more  repugnance 
than  I  now  felt  for  the  necessity  which  compelled 
me  to  punish  a  happy  and  heroic  people. 

**  A  large  assembly  of  Typce  warriors  were  posted 
on  the  opposite  banks  of  the  river,  and  dared  us  to 
descend.  In  their  rear  was  a  fortified  village, 
secured  by  strong  stone  walls.  Drums  were  beating 
and  war-conchs  sounding,  and  we  soon  found  they 
were  making  every  effort  to  oppose  us. 

**  As  soon  as  we  reached  the  foot  of  the  mountain 
we  were  annoyed  by  a  shower  of  stones  from  the 
bushes  and  from  behind  stone  walls.  After  resting 
a  few  minutes,  I  directed  the  scouting  parties  to 
gain  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river,  and  followed 
with  the  main  body.  The  fortified  village  was  taken 
without  loss  on  our  side  ;  but  their  chief  warrior  and 
another  were  killed,    and   several   wounded.     They 


I 


'813.] 


NAVAL   BATTLES. 


305 


»-'.  >  1 


retreated  only  to  stone  walls  on  higher  ground,  where 
they  continued  to  sling  their  stones  and  throw  their 
spears.  Three  of  my  men  were  wounded,  and  many 
of  the  Typees  killed,  before  we  dislodged  them. 

"  Parties  were  sent  out  to  scour  the  woods,  and 
another  fort  was  taken  after  some  resistance  ;  but 
the  party,  overpowered  by  numbers,  were  compelled 
to  retreat  to  the  main  body,  after  keeping  posses- 
sion of  it  half  an  hour.  We  were  waiting,  in  the 
fort  first  taken,  for  the  return  of  our  scouting 
parties.  A  multitude  of  Tayees  and  Happahs  were 
with  us,  and  many  were  on  th^  outskirts  of  the  vil- 
lage, seeking  for  plunder.  Lieutenant  McKnight 
had  driven  a  party  from  a  strong  wall  on  the  high 
ground,  and  had  possession  of  it,  when  a  large  party 
of  Typees,  who  had  been  lying  in  ambush,  rushed 
by  his  fire  and  darted  into  the  fort  with  their 
spears.  The  Tayeehs  and  Happahs  all  ran.  The 
Typees  approached  within  pistol-shot,  but  on  the 
first  fire  retreated  precipitately,  crossing  the  fire  of 
McKnight's  party,  and  although  none  fell,  we  had 
reason  to  believe  that  many  were  wounded.  The 
spears  and  stones  were  flying  from  the  bushes  in 
every  direction  ;  and  although  we  killed  and  wounr"- 
cd  in  this  place  great  numbers  of  them,  we  were 
satisfied  that  we  should  have  to  fight  our  way 
through  the  whole  valley. 


■  m 

^  m 


i 


i 


f*i 


1 


::i:l. 


m 


3o6 


NAVAL  BATTLES. 


[1813 


"  I  sent  a  messenger  to  inform  the  Typees  that 
we  should  cease  hostilities  when  they  no  longer 
made  resistance,  but  so  long  as  stones  were  thrown 
I  should  destroy  their  villages.  No  notice  was 
taken  of  this  message, 

"  We  continued  our  march  up  the  valley,  and  met 
in  our  way  several  beautiful  villages,  which  we  set 
on  fire,  and  at  length  arrived  at  their  capital — for 
it  deserves  the  name  of  one.  We  had  been  com- 
pelled to  fight  every  inch  of  ground,  and  here  they 
made  considerable  opposition.  The  place  was  soon 
carried,  however,  and  I  very  reluctantly  set  fire  to 
it.  The  beauty  and  regularity  of  this  place  were 
such  as  to  strike  every  spectator  with  astonishment. 
Their  public  square  was  far  superior  to  any  other  we 
had  met  with.  Numbers  of  their  gods  were  here  de- 
stroyed ;  several  large  and  elegant  new  war-canoes 
were  burned  in  the  houses  that  sheltered  them,  and 
many  of  their  drums  were  thrown  into  the  flames. 
Our  Indians  loaded  themselves  with  plunder,  after 
destroying  bread-fruit  and  other  trees  and  all  the 
young  plants  they  could  find.  We  had  now  arrived 
at  the  upper  end  of  the  valley,  about  nine  miles 
from  the  beach,  and  at  the  foot  of  the  waterfall 
above  mentioned. 

"  After  resting  about  half  an  hour,  I  directed  the 
Indians  to  take  care  of  our  wounded,  and  we  formed 


I8i3.] 


NAVAL  BATTLLS. 


307 


i 


'*  I 


the  line  of  march  and  proceeded  down  the  valley,  in 
our  route  destroying  several  other  villages,  at  all  of 
which  we  had  some  skirmishing.  At  one  of  these 
places,  at  the  foot  of  a  steep  hill,  the  enemy  rolled 
down  enormous  stones,  with  a  view  of  crushing 
us  to  death.  The  number  of  villages  destroyed 
amounted  to  ten  ;  and  ihe  destruction  of  trees  and 
plants,  and  the  plunder  carried  off  by  the  Indians, 
was  almost  incredible.  The  Typees  fought  us  to 
the  last,  and  even  at  firti  harassed  our  rear  on  our 
return  ;  but  parties  left  in  ambush  soon  put  a  stop 
to  further  annoyance. 

**  We  at  length  came  to  the  formidable  fort  which 
checked  our  career  on  our  first  day's  enterprise,  and 
although  I  had  witnessed  many  instances  of  the 
great  exertion  and  ingenuity  of  these  islanders,  I 
never  had  supposed  them  capable  of  contriving  and 
erecting  a  work  hke  this.  It  formed  the  segment  of 
a  circle,  and  was  about  fifty  yards  in  extent,  built 
of  large  stones,  six  feet  thick  at  the  bottom  and 
gradually  narrowing  to  the  top.  On  the  left  was  a 
narrow  entrance,  merely  sufficient  to  admit  one 
person's  entering.  The  wings  and  rear  were  equally 
guarded,  and  the  right  was  flanked  by  another  forti- 
fication of  greater  magnitude  and  equal  strength 
and  ingenuity.  I  directed  the  Indians  and  my  own 
men  to  put  their  shoulders  to  the  wall  and  endeavor 


!' :'  k 


■|'' 


'*i 


3o8 


NAVAL  BATTLES. 


[1813. 


to  throw  it  down  ;  but  no  impression  could  be  made 
upon  it.  It  appeared  of  ancient  date,  and  time 
alone  can  destroy  it.  We  succeeded  in  making  a 
small  breach,  through  which  we  passed  on  our  route 
to  the  beach, —  a  route  which  was  familiar  to  us,  but 
liad  now  become  doubly  intricate  from  the  number 
of  trees  which  had  since  been  cut  down  and  placed 
across  the  pathway. 

"  The  chiefs  of  the  Happahs  invited  me  to  return 
to  their  valley,  assuring  me  that  an  abundance  of 
everything  was  already  provided  for  us  ;  and  the 
girls,  who  had  assembled  in  great  numbers,  dressed 
out  in  their  best  attire,  welcomed  me  with  smiles. 
Gattanewa  met  me  on  the  side  of  the  hill  as  I  was 
ascending.  The  old  man's  heart  was  full  ;  he  could 
not  speak  ;  he  placed  both  my  hands  on  his  head, 
rested  his  forehead  on  my  knees,  and  after  a  short 
pause,  raising  himself,  placed  his  hands  on  my 
breast,  and  exclaimed  Gattaneiva  !  and  then  on  his 
own  and  said  Apotee  f  [Porter]  to  remind  me  we  had 
exchanged  names. 

"  When  I  reached  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  I 
stopped  to  contemplate  that  valley  which  in  the 
morning  we  had  viewed  in  all  its  beauty.  A  long 
line  of  smoking  ruins  now  marked  our  traces  from 
one  end  to  the  other,  the  opposite  hills  were  covered 
with  the  unhappy  fugitives,  and  the  whole  presented 


•ed 
ed 


1813.J 


NAVAL  BATTLES. 


309 


a  scene  of  desolation  and  horror.  Unhappy  and 
heroic  people  !  the  victims  of  your  own  courage  and 
mistaken  pride.  While  the  instruments  of  your  fate 
shed  the  tear  of  pity  over  your  misfortunes,  thou- 
sands of  your  countrymen  —  nay,  brethren  of  the 
same  family  —  triumphed  in  your  distresses. 

"  The  day  of  our  return  was  devoted  to  rest. 
But  a  messenger  was  despatched  to  the  Typees  to 
inform  them  I  was  still  willing  to  make  peace,  and 
that  I  should  not  allow  them  to  return  to  their  val- 
ley until  they  had  come  on  terms  of  friendship  with 
us,  and  exchanged  presents.  They  readily  consent- 
ed to  the  terms,  and  requested  to  know  the  number 
of  hogs  I  should  require.  I  told  them  I  should  ex- 
pect from  them  four  hundred,  which  they  assured 
me  should  be  delivered  without  delay. 

"  Flags  were  now  sent  from  all  the  other  tribes, 
with  large  presents  of  hogs  and  fruit,  and  peace  was 
established  throughout  the  island.  The  chiefs,  the 
priests,  and  the  principal  persons  of  the  tribes  were 
very  solicitous  of  forming  a  relationship  with  me  by 
an  exchange  of  names  with  some  of  my  family. 
Some  wished  to  bear  the  name  of  my  brother,  my 
son-in-law,  my  brother-in-law,  etc.,  and  when  all 
the  male  stock  were  exhausted,  they  as  anxiously 
solicited  the  names  of  the  other  sex.  The  name  of 
my  son,  however,  was  more  desired  than  any  other, 


'        f 


J 


I 


.■H 


h 


m 


'S.I 


4* 


310 


NAVAL  BATTLES. 


[1813. 


and  many  old  men,  whose  long  gray  beards  rendered 
their  appearance  venerable,  were  known  by  the 
name  of  Pickaneence  Apotce  ;  the  word  *  pickaninny  ' 
having  been  introduced  among  them  by  the  sailors. " 

Captain  Porter  wa^;  undoubtedly  sincere  in  the  be- 
lief that  what  he  had  done  was  a  necessity  of  war. 
But  when  we  consider  that  it  arose  simply  from  the 
refusal  of  a  people,  standing  on  their  own  ground, 
to  enter  into  a  treaty  of  amity  with  strangers  whose 
language  they  could  not  speak,  and  whose  purposes 
they  did  not  understand,  it  looks  as  if  the  captain 
had  imposed  a  pretty  heavy  penalty  for  a  small 
offence,  and  given  the  unfortunate  Typces  as  unfair 
treatment  as  he  himself  experienced  a  few  months 
later  in  the  harbor  of  Valparaiso. 

Meanwhile,  Captain  Porter  had  learned  that  an 
English  frigate  had  been  sent  out  to  stop  his  career  ; 
and  as  whalers  had  now  become  scarce,  and  he  had 
taken  as  many  prizes  as  he  could  well  manage,  after 
refitting  at  the  Marquesas  Islands,  he  sailed  in 
search  of  his  enemy.  The  truth  was,  Captain  James 
Hillyar,  of  the  British  navy,  was  looking  for  him 
with  tivo  ships,  the  Phoibe  and  the  Cherub,  mounting 
respectively  fifty-three  and  twenty-eight  guns  ;  and 
there  is  good  reason  to  believe  that  the  Admiralty 
had  sent  him  out  with  stringent  orders  to  find  and 


^ii 


•w 


I8I4.] 


NAVAL   BATTLES. 


31' 


destroy  or  capture  the  Essex  at  all  hazards.  He 
found  her  at  Valparaiso,  and  blockaded  her  there 
for  six  weeks.  On  one  occasion  the  Essex  and  the 
P/icebe  almost  fouled,  through  the  fault  of  the  latter, 
and  Porter  called  away  his  boarders  and  in  a  mo- 
ment more  would  have  been  on  the  Englishman's 
deck  ;  but  Hillyar  protested  so  earnestly  that  he 
had  no  intention  of  attacking  in  a  neutral  port,  that 
he  was  permitted  to  withdraw  from  his  suspicious 
position.  Had  Porter  been  more  shrewd  and  less 
chivalrous,  he  would  perhaps  have  seen  that  there 
was  no  way  to  account  for  the  position  of  the 
Phoebe,  except  on  the  supposition  that  Hillyar  was 
intending  to  carry  the  Essex  by  boarding,  had  he 
not  found  her  commander  and  crew  too  ready  for 
him.  That  he  cared  nothing  for  the  neutrality  of  the 
port,  was  demonstrated  by  his  subsequent  conduct. 
After  vainly  offering  battle  on  equal  terms,  Por- 
ter, on  the  28th  of  March,  attempted  to  put  to  sea. 
But  his  ship  was  struck  by  a  heavy  squall,  which 
carried  away  the  main-top-mast.  Being  pursued  by 
the  Phoebe  and  Chertib,  he  tacked  about,  reentered 
the  harbor,  and  anchored  within  pistol-shot  of  the 
shore.  Paying  not  the  slightest  regard  to  the  neu- 
trality of  the  port,  the  enemy  followed  the  Essex, 
took  a  position  under  her  stern,  and  opened  fire. 
Even  under  this  disadvantage.  Porter  got  three  long 


m 


I 


i 


■  n 

li 


il 


312 


NAVA/.    BATTLES. 


[1814. 


guns  out  at  the  stern  ports,  and  fought  them  so 
skilfully  that  in  half  an  hour  both  the  P'lcvbe  and  the 
Cherub  drew  off  for  repairs.  They  next  took  a  posi- 
tion  on  the  starboard  quarter,  out  of  reach  of  the 
carronades  that  composed  the  Essex  s  broads' '^'^. 
and  fired  at  her  with  their  long  guns.  Undei  j 
flying  jib,  the  only  sail  he  could  set,  Porter  ran 
down  upon  the  enemy,  and  after  a  short  and  intense 
action  at  close  range,  drove  off  the  Cherub,  But 
the  Phccbc  edged  away  again  out  of  reach  of  his  car- 
ronades, and  kept  up  a  steady  fire  from  her  long 
guns.  The  slaughter  on  board  the  Essex  was  sick- 
ening. At  one  gun,  tlirce  whole  crews  were  swept 
away  in  succession.  Says  Ci.ptain  Porter,  in  his 
"  Journal  :"  "  I  was  informed  that  the  cockpit,  ^^e 
steerage,  the  ward-room,  and  the  berth-deck  >  \ 
contain  no  more  wounded  ;  that  the  wounded  were 
killed  while  the  surgeons  were  dressing  them  ;  and 
that,  unless  something  was  speedily  done  to  pre- 
vent it,  the  ship  would  soon  sink  from  the  number 
of  shot-holes  in  her  bottom." 

The  captain  next  tried  to  run  her  ashore  ;  but 
while  she  was  still  nearly  a  mile  from  the  land,  the 
wind  suddenly  shifted.  A  hawser  was  bent  to  the 
sheet  anchor,  and  the  ship  swung  round  so  as  to 
bring  her  broadside  to  bear  on  the  enemy,  but  the 
hawser  soon  parted.      Indeed,  she  had  anchored  in 


I8i4.] 


NAVAL   BATTLES. 


313 


the  first  place  with  springs  on  her  cables,  but  the 
springs  had  been  repeatedly  sho'  away.* 

With  all  these  misfortunes,  the  ship  took  fire,  and 
as  the  flames  burst  up  the  hatchways  Porter  ordered 
all  who  could  swim  to  jump  overboard  and  strike 
out  for  the  shore,  as  the  boats  had  been  destroyed 
by  the  enemy's  shot.  The  flames  were  extin- 
guished ;  but  the  Essex  was  now  a  wreck,  deliber- 
ately raked  by  every  discharge  from  her  antagonist, 
and  the  colors  were  struck.  The  Essex  Junior  had 
been  in  no  condition  to  assist  in  the  fight,  but  was 
included  in  the  surrender.  Out  of  two  hundred  and 
fifty-five  men,  Porter  had  lost  one  hundred  and 
fifty-four  in  killed,  wounded,  or  missing.  Hillyar 
reported  the  loss  on  his  two  ships  as  five  killed  and 
ten  wounded. 

The  battle  had  bee.  witnessed  by  thousands  of 
people  on  shore.  So  near  were  the  vessels  to  land 
a  part  of  the  time,  that  many  of  the  P/ia^bc's  shot 
struck  the  beach.  The  United  States  Consul,  Joel 
R.    Poinsett,   protested   to   the   Chilian   authorities 


*  A  "  spring  "  of  this  sort  is  a  rope,  one  end  of  which  is  attached  to 
the  cable  and  the  other  end  carried  to  the  after  part  of  the  ship,  so 
ihat  by  hauling  upon  it  she  can  be  swung  round  to  point  hir  broad- 
side in  any  desired  direction.  A  high  authority — I'arragut  —  sa\s 
one  of  Porter's  serious  mistakes  in  this  action  was  in  fastening  the 
springs  to  the  cable,  when  they  should  have  been  fastened  to  the 
anchor,  which  would  have  carried  the  greater  part  of  them  below  the 
.surface  of  the  water,  out  of  the  reach  of  shot. 


.  '.Si 


Vi 


). 


:j 


'-  II 


ill 


M 


lit; 


3'4 


NAVAL  BATTLES. 


[1814. 


t| 


against  the  violation  of  neutrality,  and  demanded 
that  the  batteries  protect  the  Essex  ;  but  he  received 
no  satisfactory  answer,  and  took  the  first  opportu- 
nity of  leaving  the  country.  Captain  Porter  esti- 
mated that  it  had  cost  the  British  Government 
nearly  six  million  dollars  to  possess  his  ship. 

Among  the  crew  of  the  Essex  was  a  midshipman 
twelve  years  old,  who  subsequently  became  the 
greatest  of  all  naval  commanders,  David  G.  Farra- 
gut.  In  his  "Journal"  he  describes  vividly  the 
battle  and  the  part  he  took  in  it.  Some  passages 
will  be  of  interest  here,  as  they  present  pictures  sel- 
dom found  in  the  descriptions  of  such  contests  : 

"  I  well  remember  the  feelings  of  awe  produced  in 
me  by  the  approach  of  the  hostile  ships  ;  even  to 
my  young  mind  it  was  perceptible  in  the  faces  of 
those  around  me,  as  clearly  as  possible,  that  our 
case  was  hopeless.  It  was  equally  apparent  that  all 
were  ready  to  die  at  their  guns,  rather  than  surren- 
der ;  and  such  I  believe  to  have  been  the  determina- 
tion of  the  crew,  almost  to  a  man.  There  had  been 
so  much  bantering  of  each  other  between  the  men 
of  the  ships,  through  the  medium  of  letters  and 
songs,  with  an  invariable  fight  between  the  boats' 
crews  when  they  met  on  shore,  that  a  very  hostile 
sentiment  was  engendered.  Our  flcigs  were  flying 
from  every  mast,  and  the  enemy's  vessels  displayed 


i8i4.] 


NAVAL  BATTLES. 


315 


•     li 


Mtlg 


their  ensigns,  jacks,  and  motto-flags,  as  they  bore 
down  grandly  to  the  attack. 

"  I  performed  the  duties  of  captain's  aid,  quarter- 
gunner,  powder-boy,  and  in  fact  did  everything  that 
was  required  of  me.  I  shall  never  forget  the  horrid 
impression  made  upon  me  by  the  sight  of  the  first 
man  I  had  ever  seen  killed.  He  was  a  boatswain's 
mate,  and  was  fearfully  mutilated.  It  staggered 
and  sickened  me  at  first  ;  but  they  soon  began  to 
fall  around  me  so  fast  that  it  all  appeared  like  a 
dream,  and  produced  no  effect  on  my  nerves.  I  can 
remember  well,  while  I  was  standing  near  the  cap- 
tain, just  abaft  the  mainmast,  a  shot  came  through 
the  water-ways  and  glanced  upward,  killing  four 
men  who  were  standing  by  the  side  of  the  gun,  tak- 
ing the  last  one  in  the  head  and  scattering  his  brains 
over  both  of  us.  But  this  awful  sight  did  not  affect 
me  half  as  much  as  the  death  of  the  first  poor  fel- 
low. I  neither  thought  of  nor  noticed  anything  but 
the  working  of  the  guns. 

"  On  one  occasion  Midshipman  Isaacs  came  up  to 
the  captain  and  reported  that  a  quarter-gunner 
named  Roach  had  deserted  his  post.  The  only 
reply  of  the  captain,  addressed  to  me,  was,  '  Do 
your  duty,  sir.'  I  seized  a  pistol  and  went  in  pur- 
suit of  the  fellow,  but  did  not  find  him. 

"  Soon  after  this,  some  gun-primers  were  wanted. 


Ill 


■A  1 


3i6 


NAVAL  BATTLES. 


[1814. 


and  I  was  sent  after  them.  In  going  below,  while 
I  was  on  the  ward-room  ladder,  the  captain  of  the 
gun  directly  opposite  the  hatchway  was  struck  full 
in  the  face  by  an  eighteen-pound  shot,  and  fell  back 
on  me.  We  tumbled  down  the  hatch  together.  I 
struck  on  my  head,  and  fortunately  he  fell  on  my 
hips.  As  he  was  a  man  of  at  least  two  hundred 
pounds'  weight,  I  would  have  been  crushed  to  death 
if  he  had  fallen  directly  across  my  body.  I  lay  for 
some  moments  stunned  by  the  blow,  but  soon  recov- 
ered consciousness  enough  to  rush  up  on  deck.  The 
captain,  seeing  me  covered  with  blood,  asked  if  I 
was  wounded,  to  which  I  replied,  '  I  believe  not, 
sir.'  'Then,'  said  he,  'where  are  the  primers?' 
This  first  brought  me  completely  to  my  senses,  and 
I  ran  below  again  and  carried  the  primers  on  deck. 
When  I  came  up  the  second  time,  I  saw  the  captain 
fall,  and  in  my  turn  ran  up  and  asked  if  he  was 
wounded.  He  answered  me  almost  in  the  same 
words,  '  I  believe  not,  my  son  ;  but  I  felt  a  blow  on 
the  top  of  my  head.'  He  must  have  been  knocked 
down  by  the  windage  of  a  passing  shot. 

"  When  my  services  were  not  required  for  other 
purposes,  I  generally  assisted  in  working  a  gun  ; 
would  run  and  bring  powder  from  the  boys,  and 
send  them  back  for  more,  until  the  captain  wanted 
me  to  carry  a  message. 


i8r4.] 


NAVAL  BATTLES. 


3'7 


"  I  have  already  remarked  how  soon  I  became  ac- 
customed to  scenes  of  blood  and  death  during  the 
action  ;  but  after  the  battle  had  ceased,  when,  on 
going  below,  I  saw  the  mangled  bodies  of  my  ship- 
mates, dead  and  dying,  groaning  and  expiring  with 
the  most  patriotic  sentiments  on  their  lips,  I  became 
faint  and  sick.  As  soon  as  I  recovered  from  the 
first  shock,  however,  I  hastened  to  assist  the  sur- 
geon. Among  the  badly  wounded  was  one  of  my 
best  friends.  Lieutenant  J.  G.  Cowell.  When  I 
spoke  to  him  he  said,  '  O  Davy,  I  fear  it  is  all  up 
with  me.'  I  found  that  he  had  lost  a  leg  just  above 
the  knee,  and  the  doctor  informed  mc  that  his  life 
might  have  been  saved  if  he  had  consented  to  the 
amputation  of  the  limb  an  hour  before  ;  but  when  it 
was  proposed  to  drop  another  patient  and  attend  to 
him,  he  replied,  '  No,  doctor,  none  of  that  ;  fair 
play  is  a  jewel.  One  man's  life  is  as  dear  as  anoth- 
er's ;  I  would  not  cheat  any  poor  fellow  out  of  his 
turn.'  Thus  died  one  of  the  best  officers  and  brav- 
est men  among  us. 

"  It  was  wonderful  to  find  dying  men,  who  had 
hardly  ever  attracted  notice  among  the  ship's  com- 
pany, uttering  sentiments  worthy  of  a  Washington. 
You  might  have  heard  in  all  directions,  *  Don't  give 
her  up,  Logan  !  *  —  a  sobriquet  for  Porter  —  '  Hur- 
rah for  liberty  !  '  and  similar  expressions.     A  young 


m 


im 


[8 


NAVAL  BATTLES. 


[1814. 


Scotchman  named  Bissley  had  one  leg  shot  off  close 
to  the  groin.  He  used  his  handkerchief  for  a 
tourniquet,  and  said  to  his  comrades,  *  I  left  my  own 
country  and  adopted  the  United  States,  to  fight  for 
her.  I  hope  I  have  this  day  proved  myself  worthy 
of  the  country  of  my  adoption.  I  am  no  longer  of 
any  use  to  you  or  to  her,  so  good-by  !  '  With  these 
words,  he  leaned  on  the  sill  of  the  port  and  threw 
himself  overboard. 

"  Lieutenant  Wilmer,  who  had  been  sent  forward 
to  let  go  the  sheet  anchor,  was  knocked  overboard 
by  a  shot.  After  the  action,  his  little  Negro  boy, 
Ruff,  came  on  deck  and  asked  me  what  had  become 
of  his  master,  and  when  I  imparted  to  him  the  sad 
news,  he  deliberately  jumped  into  the  sea  and  was 
drowned. 

"  I  went  on  board  the  Phoebe  about  8  A.M.  on  the 
29th,  and  was  ushered  into  the  steerage.  I  was  so 
mortified  at  our  capture  that  I  could  not  refrain 
from  tears.  While  in  this  uncomfortable  state,  I 
was  aroused  by  hearing  a  young  reefer  call  out,  '  A 
prize  !  a  prize  !  Ho,  boys,  a  fine  grunter,  by 
Jove  !  '  T  saw  at  once  that  he  had  under  his  arm  a 
pet  pig  belonging  to  our  ship,  called  Murphy.  I 
claimed  the  animal  as  my  own.  '  Ah,'  said  he, 
'  but  you  are  a  prisoner,  and  your  pig  also.'  '  We 
always  respect  private  property,'  I  replied,  and  as  I 


H 


l8i4-] 


NAVAL  BATTLES. 


319 


had  seized  hold  of  Murphy  I  determined  not  to  let 
go,  unless  compelled  by  superior  force.  This  was 
fun  for  the  oldsters,  who  immediately  sung  out,  '  Go 
it,  my  little  Yankee  !  If  you  can  thrash  Shorty, 
you  shall  have  your  pig  !  '  *  Agreed  !  '  said  I.  A 
ring  was  formed,  and  at  it  we  went.  I  soon  found 
that  .xiy  antagonist's  pugilistic  education  did  not 
come  up  to  mine.  In  fact,  he  was  no  match  for  me, 
and  was  compelled  to  give  up  the  pig.  So  I  took 
Master  Murphy  under  my  arm,  feeling  that  I  had  in 
some  degree  wiped  out  the  disgrace  of  our  defeat." 
Porter  and  his  surviving  men  were  paroled,  and 
the  Essex  Junior  was  converted  into  a  cartel,  in 
which  they  were  sent  home  to  New  York.  When 
she  was  within  about  thirty  miles  of  her  destina- 
tion, she  was  overhauled  by  a  British  war-vessel  and 
detained  all  night,  which  by  the  terms  of  the  agree- 
ment with  Captain  Hillyar  absolved  them  from  their 
parole.  In  the  morning  Captain  Porter  with  a  few 
men  left  the  ship  in  a  small  boat,  unnoticed,  and 
pulled  for  shore,  landing  at  Babylon,  Long  Island, 
about  sunset.  He  was  immediately  made  a  prisoner 
by  the  militia  ;  but  when  he  exhibited  his  commis- 
sion, they  fired  a  salute  of  twenty- one  guns  and  fur- 
nished a  horse  and  cart  to  carry  his  boat.  On  reach- 
ing Ne\y  York,  he  received  a  grand  ovation,  and  as 
he  rode  through  the  streets  the  people  unhitched 


<-*«< 


320 


NA  VAL  BA  TTLES. 


[1814. 


his  horses  and  drew  the  carriage  themselves.  Thus 
ended  one  of  the  most  exciting,  varied,  and  romantic 
cruises  ever  made  by  a  modern  sailor. 

On  the  29th  of  April  the  American  sloop-of  war 
Peacock,  carrying  eighteen  guns  and  commanded  by 
Captain  Lewis  Warrington,  was  cruising  off  the 
coast  of  Florida  when  she  sighted  the  British  brig- 
of-war  Epervicr,  eighteen  guns,  convoying  three 
merchantmen.  The  two  men-of-war  hauled  up  for 
action,  and  after  a  battle  of  forty-two  minutes  the 
English  flag  was  struck.  The  Epervier  had  lost 
twenty-two  men  killed  or  wounded,  her  rigging  was 
badly  cut  up,  and  there  was  five  feet  of  water  in  the 
hold,  more  than  forty  shot  having  entered  her  hull. 
The  Peacock,  which  was  much  heavier  than  her  an- 
tagonist, had  received  very  little  injury,  and  but  two 
of  her  crew  were  wounded.  The  prize  had  $1 18,000 
in  specie  on  board.  Soon  after  this  the  Peacock 
cruised  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay  and  along  the  coast  of 
Portugal,  and  captured  fourteen  merchantmen. 

Captain  Johnston  Blakeley,  in  the  Wasp,  a  sister 
ship  to  the  Peacock,  sailed  from  Portsmouth,  N.  H., 
for  a  cruise  in  the  chops  of  the  English  Channel. 
At  daylight  on  the  28th  of  June  he  sighted  two  sail 
on  the  lee  beam  and  one  on  the  weather  beam. 
Avoiding  the  former,  he  made  for  the  latter,  which 
proved  to  be  the  British  brig  Reindeer,  of  eighteen 


i8i4.] 


NAVAL  BATTLES. 


321 


guns.     There  was  considerable  manoeuvring  for  the 
weather-gauge,   but   the    Englishman  succeeded    in 
keeping  it,  and   by  three  o'clock  had  come  within 
sixty  yards.     At  that  short  distance   she  had   five 
shots  at  the  Wasp,  with  a  shifting  carronade,  firing 
round  shot  and  grape,  before  the  Wasp  could  bring 
a  single  gun   to  bear  on  her.     But   Blakuky  then 
made  a  half-board,  and  by  firing  from  aft  forward 
finally  brought  every  gun   into  use.     This  was  too 
heavy  for  the  Reindeer,  and  she  ran  into  the  Wasp 
and  attempted  to  board,  her  crew  being  led  by  Cap- 
tain Manners  in  person.     But  every  attempt  was  re- 
pelled by  the  crew  of  the    Wasp,  and  when  Captain 
Blakeley  ordered  them  in  turn  to  board  the  enemy, 
they  were   on    her   deck  and  the   British   flag  was 
hauled  down  in  one  minute.     The  whole  action  had 
•  lasted   but   half  an   hour.     The  Rei?ideer   had    lost 
twenty-five  killed,  including  her  captain,  and  forty- 
two  wounded  ;  the  Wasp,  five  killed  and  twenty-two 
wounded.     The  upper  half  of  the  hull  of  the  Rein- 
deer was   a   complete    wreck,    and    she   had  to    be 
burned.     A    few    weeks    later,    September    1st,    the 
Wasp,i.a(ter  making  three  prizes,  discovered  four  sail 
and  bore  up  for  the  most  weatherly  of  them.     Be- 
tween nine  and  ten  o'clock  at  night  the  two  ships 
came  close  together,  and  broadsides  were  exchanged 
till  the  enemy  became  silent.     Blakeley  hailed,  and 


Hm 


322 


NAVAL   BATTLES. 


[1814. 


was  answered  that  she  surrendered.  She  was  the 
British  brig  Avon,  of  eighteen  guns.  But  before 
the  Americans  had  taken  possession  of  her,  another 
British  man-of-war  came  up.  The  IVasJf  made  ready- 
to  engage  her  ;  but  before  she  could  do  so,  two  oth- 
ers appeared,  and  she  then  put  up  her  hehn  and  ran 
off  before  the  wind.  It  was  afterward  learned  that 
the  Avo?i  had  sunk,  and  her  consort  with  difificulty 
rescued  the  survivors  of  her  crew.  In  the  next  twenty 
days  the  Was/>  took  three  prizes,  and  then,  continu- 
ing her  cruise,  was  never  heard  from  again. 

One  of  the  bloodiest  sea-fights  of  this  year  took 
place  in  the  harbor  of  Fayal,  Azores.  The  Ameri- 
can privateer  General  Arntstrong,  carrying  fourteen 
guns  and  ninety  men,  commanded  by  Captain  Sam- 
uel C.  Reid,  put  in  there  for  water  on  the  26th  of 
September.  A  few  hours  later,  three  British  war- 
vessels  —  the  Plantagcnet,  Carnation,  and  Rota  — 
entered  the  harbor.  It  was  a  neutral  port,  but  they 
cared  no  more  for  its  neutrality  than  Hillyar  had 
cared  for  that  of  Valparaiso. 

In  the  evening,  under  a  full  moon,  four  armed 
boats  were  sent  from  these  vessels  to  cut  out  the 
privateer.  As  they  approached  her,  they  were 
warned  off  several  times,  but  paid  no  attention  to  it, 
and  attempted  to  board.  Reid  then  opened  fire  on 
them,   and   drove  them   off  with  heavy  loss.     For 


I8i4.] 


NAVAL   BATTLES. 


Z^i 


rmed 
It  the 

I  were 
to  it, 
re  on 
For 


greater  security,  the  Armstrong  was  hauled  up 
close  to  the  fort,  and  moored.  The  Governor  re- 
monstrated with  Captain  Vvin  Lloyd,  commander  of 
the  English  fleet  ;  to  which  the  captain  answered 
that  he  was  determined  to  destroy  the  privateer,  and 
if  the  fort  protected  her  he  would  bombard  the  town 
till  not  :i  house  was  left  standing. 

At  midnight  the  Armstrong  was  attacked  again, 
this  time  by  fourteen  launches,  each  carrying  about 
fifty  men.  Reid  promptly  opened  his  broadside  on 
them,  with  terrible  effect  ;  yet  two  or  three  of  them 
succeeded  in  reaching  the  vessel,  and  the  crew  then 
met  them  with  cutlass  and  pistol,  and  scarcely  a  man 
in  them  was  left  alive.  A  letter  written  from  Fayal 
at  the  time,  by  an  Englishman,  says  the  officers  in 
charge  of  the  boats  cheered  on  their  men  with  a 
shout  of  "  No  quarter  !"  and  that  "  the  Americans 
fought  with  great  firmness,  but  more  like  blood- 
thirsty savages  than  anything  else.  They  rushed 
into  the  boats,  sword  in  hand,  and  put  every  soul  to 
death,  as  far  as  came  within  their  power.  Several 
boats  floated  on  shore,  full  of  dead  bodies." 

Next  morning,  the  Carnation  sailed  in  and 
engaged  the  Armstrong ;  but  after  a  short  action 
she  was  badly  cut  up  and  obliged  to  haul  off  for 
repairs.  Several  guns  on  the  Armstrong  had  been 
dismounted  ;  and  as  Captain  Reid  now  saw  that  her 


324 


NAVAL  BATTLES. 


[1814. 


ultimate  destruction  was  certain,  he  cut  away  her 
masts,  blew  a  hole  in  her  bottom,  and  went  ashore 
with  his  men.  Two  of  the  crew  had  been  killed, 
and  seven  wounded.  The  ascertained  loss  of  the 
British  was  one  hundred  and  twenty  killed  and 
ninety  wounded. 

After  burning  the  abandoned  wreck,  Van  Lloyd 
demanded  of  the  Governor  that  the  gallant  little 
crew  he  had  failed  to  capture  should  be  given  up  to 
him  as  prisoners.  This  modest  request  was  of 
course  refused,  and  Captain  Reid  and  his  men  then 
took  possession  of  an  old  convent,  declaring  that 
they  would  defend  themselves  to  the  last.  But  they 
were  not  molested. 

The  vessel  that  was  despatched  to  England  to 
take  home  the  British  sailors  wounded  in  this  ac- 
tion, was  not  permitted  to  carry  a  single  letter  from 
anybody.  Indeed,  not  only  this  affair,  says  Cobbett 
in  his  "  Letters,"  but  the  loss  of  the  Avon,  the  bat- 
tle of  riattsburg,  and  other  actions  not  creditable  to 
the  English  arms,  were  carefully  concealed  frcm  the 
English  public.  At  the  demand  of  Portugal,  the 
Ikitish  Government  apologized  for  the  violation  of 
neutrality  ;  but  the  owners  of  the  Armstrong  never 
obtained  any  indemnity. 

This  was  the  last  naval  action  before  the  declara- 
tion of  peace  ;  but  as  that  declaration  did  not  imme- 


[i8i4. 


1815.] 


l^AVAL  BATTLES. 


325 


diately  reach  the  cruisers  at  sea,  three  others  were 
fought.     On  the  15th  of  January,  181 5,  Commodore 
Decatur,   in  the  President,   had  a  prolonged  battle 
with   the   frigate   Endymion,   off  Long   Island,   and 
reduced   her   to    a    wreck.     But    two    other  British 
cruisers  came  up,  and  he  was  compelled  to  surren- 
der.    He  had  lost  eighty  men   killed  or  wounded. 
On  the  20th  of  February,  the   Constitution,  Captain 
Charles  Stewart,  off  the  coast  of  Portugal,  captured 
both  the  Cyanc,  of  thirty-four  guns,  and  the  Levant, 
of  twenty-one,   after  a  battle  of  forty  minutes,  in 
which  he  lost  fifteon  men,   and   inflicted  a  loss  of 
about  forty.     The  Levant  was  subsequently  recapt- 
ured by  three  English   cruisers,    while  she  was    in 
Port  Praya,  another  neutral  harbor.     On  the  23d  of 
March,  the  American  brig  Hornet,   Captain   James 
Biddle,  and  the  British  brig  Penguin,  Captain  Dick- 
enson,   being  almost  exactly  matched   in  men  and 
metal,  fought  a  battle  of  twenty-two  minutes'  dura- 
tion, off  the  island  of  Tristan  d'Acunha,  at  the  close 
of  which  the  Penguin,  having  lost  forty-two  men  and 
been  badly  crippled,  surrendered.      Her  commander 
was  killed,     r  .le  Hornet  had  one  man  killed  and  ten 
wounded.     This  was  the  last  of  what  the  London 
Times  had  fallen  into  the  habit  of  calling  "  the  pain- 
ful  events  at  sea." 


!■  5  ! 


CHAPTER    XIX. 


THE   HARTFORD   CONVENTION. 

Attitude  of  the  Federalists,  Real  and  Imputed — The  Convention  at 
Hartford — Its  Popular  Reputation — What  General  Scott  did  not 
say  at  Chippewa. 

When  a  de.tiuctive  war  had  been  carried  on  for 
two  years,  when  recruiting  was  slow,  and  the  Gov- 
ernment heavily  in  debt,  and  yet  no  way  appeared 
but  to  fight  it  out,  it  might  have  been  expected  that 
harsh  criticism  of  the  pohcy  of  the  Administration, 
coming  from  the  party  that  had  steadily  opposed 
the  war,  would  subject  that  party  to  the  charge  of 
being  unpatriotic  and  untrue  to  the  Union.  It 
might  also  have  been  expected  that  an  opposition 
which  had  become  chronic  could  not  but  become  in 
some  respects  unjust.  So  when  the  Federalists  in 
1 8 14  were  flooding  the  Legislatures  of  New  England 
with  memorials  on  the  conduct  of  the  war,  they 
could  hardly  restrain  themselves  from  overdrawing 
the  picture  of  its  failures,  or  from  represcntir  he 
condition  of  things  before  the  war  '^' 

paradisiacal  than  anybody  had  sus' 
the   other   hand,  they   were   accn-        not         j    '-'■ 


i8i4.] 


THE   IIARTI'ORD   CONVENTION. 


327 


I  gland 
[,  they 
•avvincf 
ir     '  he 


01 


rejoicing  in  defeats  of  tlie  national  arms,  but  of  plot- 
tin;^  a  separation  of  New  En^dand  from  the  other 
States,  with  a  view  of  ultimately  making  her  again 
a  part  of  the  British  Empire.  That  there  were 
some  Federalists  who  contemplated  a  dissolution  of 
the  Union  as  a  possible  remedy  for  certain  difficul- 
ties, is  quite  probable,  for  such  views  were  at  that 
time  not  confined  to  either  party.  The  contingency 
of  disunion  was  frequently  discussed  by  men  of  both 
parties.  But  that  anybody  seriously  contemplated 
a  reunion  with  England,  there  lias  never  been  any 
evidence  worth  considering.  The  story  was  gotten 
up  by  the  Administration  party,  in  order  to  ca-c 
odium  upon  the  Federalists  ;  and  the  occurrence 
most  freely  used  to  give  color  to  it  was  the  Hartford 
Convention,  which  unfortunately  sat  with  closed 
doors,  and  thus  was  easily  misrepresented  as  a  trea- 
sonable gathering. 

In  the  third  year  of  the  war  the  hand  of  the  enemy 
had  fallen  heavily  upon  the  coast  of  New  Eng- 
land, and  at  the  same  time  an  unpleasant  feeling 
had  arisen  from  the  refusal  of  the  United  States 
Government  to  pay  the  militia  that  had  been  in  ser- 
vice under  State  officers.  In  this  crisis,  the  Legis- 
lature of  Massachusetts,  on  the  i6th  of  October,  by 
a  vote  of  260  to  90,  passed  a  series  of  resolutions, 
the  fifth  of  which  authorized  the  calling  of  a  con- 


Hi 


It 


323 


THE   HARTFORD    CONVENTION. 


[1814. 


vention  to  confer  "  upon  the  subject  of  tneir  [the 
New  England  States]  public  grievances  and  con- 
cerns ;  and  upon  the  best  means  of  preserving  our 
resources  ;  and  of  defence  against  the  enemy  ;  and 
to  devise  and  suggest  for  adoption  by  those  respect- 
ive States  such  measures  as  they  may  deem  expedi- 
ent ;  and  also  to  take  measures,  if  they  shall  think 
it  propc,  for  procuring  a  convention  of  delegates 
from  all  the  United  States,  in  order  to  revise  the 
Constitution  thereof,  and  more  effectually  to  secure 
the  support  and  attachment  of  all  the  people,  by 
placing  all  upon  the  basis  of  fair  representation." 
The  letter  addressed  to  the  governors  of  other 
States  set  forth  the  general  objects  of  the  proposed 
conference  to  be,  "  to  deliberate  upon  the  dangers 
to  which  the  eastern  section  of  the  Union  is  ex- 
posed by  the  course  of  the  war,  and  to  devise,  if 
practicable,  means  of  security  and  defence  which 
may  be  consistent  with  the  preservation  of  their 
resources  from  total  ruin,  and  adapted  to  their  local 
situation,  mutual  relations,  and  habits,  and  not 
repugnant  to  their  obligations  as  members  of  the 
Union." 

In  response  to  this  call,  a  convention  of  twenty- 
six  delegates  met  at  Hartford,  Conn.,  December 
15th,  and  sat  for  three  weeks.  All  sorts  of  absurd 
rumors  as  to  the  purpose  of  the  Convention  were  set 


[i8i4. 

2ir  [the 
d   con- 
ing our 
y  ;  and 
espect- 
Expedi- 
l  think 
legates 
/ise  the 
»  secure 
)ple,  by 
ation." 
■    other 
roposed 
dangers 
\  is  ex- 
evise,  if 
I  which 
jf    their 
eir  local 
ind    not 
J  of  the 

twcnty- 
ecembcr 
f  absurd 
were  set 


1814.J 


TI/E  HARTFORD   CONVEN FION. 


afloat  and  the  President  so  far  participated  in  the 
vague  fears  thus  excited,  or  pretended  to,  as  to  sta- 
tion a  reguTient  of  troops  in  Hartford 

On  the  5th  of  January,  1815,  the  Convention  ad- 
journed, and  published  a  long  report,  wherein  were 

set^  forth   the  difBculties  that   the  country  labored 
under,  and  methods  proposed  by  the  Convention  for 
adjustn.g    the...      These    were    first    discussed    at 
ength,  and  then  summarized  in  a  series  of  resolu- 
lons  :  That  unconstitutional  drafts  of  militia  should 
be  prevented  ;  that  the  New  England  States  should 
be  empowered  to  defend  their  own  territory  against 
tbe  enemy  ;    that  representatives  and  direct  taxes 
should  be  apportioned  among  the  States  according, 
to  the  number  of  their  free  inhabitants  ;  that  a  two! 
third  vote  of  Congress  should  be  required  to  admit 
a  new  State  ;  that  embargoes   for  more  than  sixty 
days  should  be  forbidden  ;    that  a  two-third  Con 
gressional  vote  should  be  required  for  the  interdic 
tion  of  commercial  intercourse,  or  for  the  declaration 
of  offensive  war  ;    that  naturalized  citizens  should 
not  be  ehg,ble  to  Federal  offices  ;  that  the  President 
should   be  ineligible  for  a  second  term,  and  should 
i^ot  be  chosen  from  the  same  State  twice  in  succes 

-n  ;  and,  finally,  that  if  these  ends  were  not  at- 

tan.ed   and  peace  not  concluded,  another  convention 
should  be  held  in  Boston  in  the  following  June 


I 


iji)    i 


33° 


THE  HARTFORD   CONVENTION. 


[1814. 


This  ought  to  have  been  plain  enough  for  any-- 
body  to  understand  ;  and  yet  allusions  to  "  the  old 
blue-lights  of  the  Hartford  Convention,"  as  a  syno- 
nym for  treason,  have  come  down  to  our  own  day. 
Ttspopularity  as  a  bugbear  has  never  been  exceeded. 
So  great  was  its  influence  in  this  regard,  that  it 
caused  General  Scott  to  remember  something  which 
had  never  taken  place.  In  his  account  of  the  battle 
of  Chippewa  he  says  :  "  And  now  the  New  England 
States  were  preparing  to  hold  a  convention  —  it  met 
at  Hartford  —  perhaps  to  secede  from  the  Union  — 
possibly  to  take  up  arms  against  it.  Scott's  bri- 
gade, nearly  all  New  England  men,  were  most  indig- 
nant, and  this  was  the  subject  of  the  second  of  the 
three  pithy  remarks  made  to  them  by  Scott  just  be- 
fore the  final  conflict  of  Chippewa.  Calling  aloud 
to  the  gallant  Major  Hindman,  he  said,  '  Let  us  put 
down  the  Federal  Convention  by  beating  the  enemy 
in  front.  There's  nothing  in  the  Constitution 
against  that.'  "*  There  can  be  no  question  as  to 
the  intrinsic  pithiness  of  this  remark  ;  but  if  Scott 
made  it,  he  must  have  been  somewhat  of  a  prophet, 
for  the  battle  of  Chippewa  was  fought  on  the  5th  of 
July,  and  the  call  for  the  Convention  was  not  issued 
till   October.     This   shows   the   danger  of   writing 

*  Scott's  Memoirs,  vol.  i.,  page  133. 


I8i4.j  THE  HARTFORD   CONVEI^TION.  2>Z\ 

memoirs  half  a  century  after  the  events  of  which 
they  treat. 

The  great  news  from  the  South,  and  the  tidings 
of  peace,  followed  so  quickly  upon  the  adjournment 
of  the  Convention  that  its  labors  went  for  nou-ht 
Its  members  were  subjected  to  merciless  ridicule,  "and 
the  new  convention  proposed  for  June  was  never 
held. 


CHAPTER   XX. 


THE   CAMPAIGN   ON   THE  GULF  COAST. 

British  Occupation  of  Pensacola — Negotiations  with  Lafitte — Expedi- 
tion against  Mobile — Capture  of  Pensacola — Defence  of  New  Or- 
leans— The  Battles  before  the  City — Defeat  of  the  British — Losses. 

Though  Pensacola  was  a  Spanish  town,  in  Span- 
ish territory,  the  British  forces  used  it  as  a  station 
for  fitting  out  expeditions  against  Mobile  and  New 
Orleans.  Here  they  gathered  arms  and  munitions 
of  war  ;  here  their  vessels  found  safe  anchorage  in  a 
spacious  harbor,  where  they  were  afforded  every 
facility  for  refitting  ;  and  here  the  savage  allies  were 
equipped  for  war  and  murder.  The  British  com- 
mander sent  an  embassy  to  Jean  Lafitte,  at  Bara- 
taria  Bay,  offering  him  a  captain's  commission, 
together  with  a  free  pardon  for  all  his  gang,  and 
grants  of  land  to  be  carved  out  of  such  territory  as 
might  be  conquered  from  the  United  States,  on  con- 
dition that  he  and  his  men  would  assist  with  their 
fleet  the  expeditions  then  fitting  out.  The  English 
commander  also  hinted  darkly  at  something  which 
he  called  "  the  blessings  of  the  British  constitu- 
tion"—  probably  meaning  the  abundant  bone  and 
muscle  of  a  Ljef-eater — as  an  additional  inducement 


<:xpedi- 
iew  Or- 
l,osses. 

Span- 
,tation 
i  New 
-litions 
re  in  a 
every 
s  were 
com- 
Bara- 
ission, 


.-,  and 


tory  as 
on  con- 
h  their 


ngl 


isi 


w 


hich 


)nstitu- 
Ine  and 


1814.] 


CAMFA/0\V  ON    THE   GULF    COAST. 


Z^c^T, 


ICC 


ment 


to  the  famous  little  Frenchm  »n.  Lafitte  was  com- 
monly called  a  pirate,  but  that  was  not  precisely  his 
character.  He  was  a  receiver  of  stolen  goods  cap- 
tured by  half  piratical  privateers,  which  he  smug- 
gled into  New  Orleans.  But,  pirate  or  no  pirate, 
he  seems  to  have  been  too  shrewd  for  the  English- 
man. He  appeared  to  acquiesce  till  he  obtained 
the  terms  in  black  and  white,  and  then  despatched 
the  letters  to  Governor  Claiborne  of  Louisiana, 
together  with  one  in  which  he  offered  his  services  in 
defending  the  coast  against  the  British,  on  condition 
that  the  proscription  of  himself  and  his  adherents  be 
terminated  by  an  act  of  oblivion.  The  Governor 
laid  the  letters  before  a  council  of  military  and  naval 
ofificers,  who  decided  that  they  were  forgeries  and 
Lafitte  a  scoundrel.  Consequently  an  expedition 
under  Commodore  Patterson  was  sent  against  him, 
by  which  his  establishment  was  broken  up,  nine  of 
his  vessels  were  seized,  and  many  of  his  men  made 
prisoners. 

One  morning  in  July,  General  Jackson  was  pre- 
sented with  a  new  English  musket,  brought  to  his 
headquarters  by  a  friendly  Indian  who  had  received 
it  from  the  Creeks  at  Appalachicola.  This  told  an 
alarming  story,  which  the  General  at  once  communi- 
cated to  Governor  Claiborne  and  the  Secretary  of 
War.     Of  the  latter  he  asked  permission  to  make  a 


334 


CAMPAIGN  ON    THE   GULF   COAST. 


[1814. 


descent  upon  Pensacola.  Before  an  answer  was 
received,  Jackson  was  joined  by  new  levies  of  troops 
from  Tennessee,  which  he  hurried  to  Mobile. 

On  Mobile  Point,  commanding  the  entrance  to 
the  bay,  stood  a  ruinous  earthwork  known  as  Fort 
Bowyer.  Major  William  Lawrence,  with  a  garrison 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  men,  took  possession  of 
this,  and  proceeded  to  put  it  in  shape  for  defence. 
On  the  1 2th  of  September,  the  British  landed  a  de- 
tachment of  marines  and  six  hundred  Indians  Oii  the 
peninsula  of  which  Mobile  Point  is  the  extremity, 
and  a  few  hours  later  four  war-vessels,  under  Captain 
Percy,  appeared  at  the  entrance  of  the  bay.  Two 
or  three  days  were  passed  in  feeble  demonstrations 
on  the  land  side,  and  attempts  to  sound  the  chan- 
nel ;  but  on  the  afternoon  of  the  15th  the  fleet 
sailed  up  in  line,  dropped  anchor  in  the  channel, 
and  opened  the  battle.  For  an  hour  the  firing  was 
incessant  ;  it  ceased  for  a  moment  when  the  colors 
of  the  flag-ship  Hcrincs  were  shot  away  ;  but  was 
soon  renewed,  when  a  chance  shot  cut  the  cable  of 
the  Hermes,  the  current  swung  her  bow-on  to  the 
fort,  and  for  twenty  minutes  she  was  raked  merci- 
lessly. She  drifted  down  the  channel  and  ran 
aground,  when  Captain  Percy  abandoned  her  and 
set  her  on  fire.  Another  vessel  was  crippled  and 
driven  off,  and  the  other  two  then  withdrew. 


I8i4.]  CAMPAIGN  ON    THE   GULF  COAST.  335 

The  simultaneous  assaults  of  the  marines  and 
Indians  had  been  met  and  repelled  with  a  few  dis- 
charges of  grape.  In  this  action  the  garrison  lost 
four  men  killed  and  four  wounded  ;  the  British  offi . 
cial  report  acknowledged  a  loss  of  thirty-two  killed 
and  forty  wounded. 

Early  in  November,  Jackson,  with  three  thousand 
men,  marched  on  Pensacola,  where  he  proposed  to 
garrison  the  forts  till  the  Spanish  authorities  were 
able  to  maintain  for  themselves  the  neutrality  of  the 
port.  This  proposition  being  rejected  by  the  Span- 
ish Governor,  Jackson's  men  charged  into  the  town 
and  captured  a  battery,  and  took  possession.  That 
night  Fort  Barrancas,  commanding  the  entrance  to 
the  harbor,  w^as  blown  up,  and  the  British  vessels 
sailed  away. 

Hurrying  back  to  Mobile,  where  he  feared  a  sec- 
ond  attack,   Jackson  learned  of  the  revelations  of 
Lafitte  and  was  urged  to  go  to  the  defence  of  New 
Orleans.      He    arrived    in    that    city   on    the    2d    of 
December,    was   enthusiastically  welcomed,   and   at 
once  set  to  work  to   prepare   it   for  defence.      He 
called  out  the  Louisiana  militia,  appealed  to  the  free 
negroes,  released  and  enrolled  convicts  whose  terms 
were  within  two  months  of  expiration,  accepted  the 
services  of  Lafitte  and  his  men,  assigning  them  to 
duty  as  artillerists,  and  ordered  Coffee  with  his  two 


i'j 


'H 


V: 


336 


CAMPAIGN  ON    THE   GULF  COAST. 


[1814. 


thousand  men  to  join  him  from  Mobile.  While 
looking  anxiously  for  new  levies  from  Kentucky  and 
Tennessee,  who  were  to  come  by  way  of  the  river, 
he  fortified  the  city,  and  proclaimed  martial  law. 

On  the  loth  of  December  the  British  fleet  entered 
Lake  Borgne,  where  on  the  14th  it  defeated  and 
captured  the  American  gunboats.  On  the  23d  a 
body  of  two  thousand  four  hundred  British  troops 
reached  the  bank  of  the  Mississippi  nine  miles  below 
New  Orleans,  and  with  two  thousand  one  hundred 
Jackson  went  down  to  meet  them. 

New  Orleans  was  the  largest  prize  which  had  been 
contended  for  in  this  war.  It  was  a  city  of  twenty 
thousand  inhabitants  ;  and  a  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  bales  of  cotton,  worth  two  shillings  a 
pound,  were  stored  there.  But  it  was  not  so  much 
its  immediate  pecuniary  value  that  tempted  the 
enemy,  as  the  commercial  and  strategical  importance 
of  its  position,  for  they  expected  not  only  to  capt- 
ure but  to  hold  it  permanently.  Lieutenant  Gleig, 
author  of  '  The  Subaltern,"  who  was  connected 
with  the  expedition,  after  describing  the  Mississippi 
and  its  tributaries,  wrote  :  "  Whatever  nation, 
therefore,  chances  to  possess  this  place,  possesses  in 
reality  the  command  of  a  greater  extent  of  country 
than  is  included  within  the  boundary  line  of  the 
whole  United  States,"  and  the  London  Tijues,  an- 


i8l4.] 


CAMPAIGN  ON   THE  GULF  COAST. 


337 


nouncing  that  all  the  disposable  shipping  had  been 
sent  from  Bermuda  to  the  Mississippi,  added  that, 
"  most  active  measures  are  pursuing  for  detaching 
from  the  dominion  of  the  enemy  an  important  part 
of  his  territory." 

Wellington's  veterans,  fresh  from  their  victories 
in  the  Spanish  peninsula,  were  now  before  the  city, 
and  the  inhabitants,  knowing  how  hasty  had  been 
the  preparations  for  defence,  trembled  for  its  safety. 
The  expectation  was,  that,  if  captured,  it  would  at 
once  be  sacked. 

It  was  late  in  the  day  when  Jackson  moved  to  the 
attack.  He  sent  Coffee  and  his  Tennesseeans  to 
gain  the  right  flank  and  rear  of  the  enemy,  while  the 
rest  of  his  forces  were  to  deploy  across  the  narrow 
strip  of  land  between  the  river  and  a  morass,  and 
attack  in  front.  The  schooner  Carolina  was  ordered 
to  move  down  to  a  point  opposite  the  British  left, 
and  enfilade  the  position  ;  her  first  discharge  to  be 
the  signal  for  the  land  attack.  It  was  half-past 
seven  o'clock  when  she  opened  the  battle  with  a 
broadside  that  tore  through  the  British  camp  and 
swept  down  a  large  number  of  men.  The  moon  was 
young  and  obscured  by  clouds,  so  that  there  was 
almost  absolute  darkness,  except  when  the  flashes  of 
the  guns  momentarily  lighted  up  one  or  another 
part  of  the  field. 


ri 


338 


CAMPAIGN  ON   THE   GULF  COAST. 


[1814. 


The  two  armies  soon  became  intermingled,  and, 
as  one  of  the  participants  wrote,  "  no  man  could  tell 
what  was  going  forward  in  any  quarter,  except 
where  he  himself  chanced  immediately  to  stand  ;  no 
one  part  of  the  line  could  bring  assistance  to  an- 
other, because  in  truth  no  line  existed."  The  fight- 
ing was  mostly  hand-to-hand  ;  few  of  the  Americans 
had  bayonets,  but  many  carried  long  knives,  and 
the  most  ghastly  wounds  were  given  and  received. 
Officers  on  either  side  would  gather  little  companies 
of  men  and  go  out  into  the  darkness  to  find  the 
enemy  ;  but  when  they  had  come  in  contact  with  an 
armed  party  like  themselves,  it  was  often  impossi- 
ble to  say  whether  they  were  friends  or  foes. 

After  three  hours  of  this  bloody  work,  the  Ameri- 
cans withdrew  to  works  four  miles  from  the  city. 
They  had  lost  twenty-four  killed,  one  hundred  and 
fifteen  wounded,  and  seventy-four  missing.  Gen- 
eral Keane's  official  report  made  the  British  loss 
forty-six  killed,  one  hundred  and  sixty-seven 
wounded,  and  sixty -four  missing.  Lieutenant 
Gleig,  in  his  "Narrative,"  says,  "Not  less  than 
five  hundred  men  had  fallen,  many  of  whom  were 
our  finest  soldiers  and  best  officers  ;  and  yet  we 
could  not  but  consider  ourselves  fortunate  in  escap- 
ing from  the  toils,  even  at  the  expense  of  so  great  a 
sacrifice."     A  journal  found  upon  a  British  officer 


i 


18I4.J  CAMPAIG.y  O.V   THE  GULF  COAST.  3J9 

Who  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  January  8th.  puts  the 
loss  in  this  action  at  "  two  hundred  and  twenty-four 
killed,  and  an  immense  number  wounded." 

Heavy  reenforcements  of  British  troops  soon  ar- 
rived,  and  with  them  Generals  Sir  Edward  Pakenham 
and  Samuel    Gibbs.     Pakenham,    a    brother-in-law 
of  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  had  won   considerable 
distinction  in  the   Peninsular  War.     \\c.   found   the 
army  before  New  Orleans  in  a  pitiful  plight.      It  was 
encamped  on  a  strip  of  low  and  level  land,  on  one 
side  a  broad  river  where  it  had  no  vessels,  and  on 
the  other  an  almost  impassable  morass.     In   front 
were     fortifications    that    were    continually    being 
strengthened,  and  of  the  enemy  behind  them  almos't 
nothing  was  known  ;  while  two  armed  vessels  kept 
up  day  and  night  an  enfilading  fire.      With  all  this, 
alternate  rain  and  frost  left  them  scarcely  a  comfort- 
able hour. 

Pakenham 's  first  movement  was  to  bring  heavy 
guns  and  a  furnace  across  the  peninsula  by  nicrht 
and  plant  them  on  the  levee  ;  from  which  on'^the 
morning  of  the  27th  he  opened  a  fire  with  hot  shot 
and  m  half  an  hour  had  driven  the  Louisiana  up 
stream  and  set  the  Carolina  on  fire,  so  that  she  was 
abandoned  and  blew  up. 

O^  the  28th  he  made  a   reconnoissance  in  force. 
As  the  'eft  wing  approached   the  American  lines,  a 


34° 


CAMPAIGN  ON   THE   GULF  COAST. 


[1814, 


group  of  buildings  which  Jackson's  men  had  filled 
with  combustibles  was  fired  by  a  hot  shot  from  one 
of  his  guns,  and  amid  the  heat  and  smoke  the  Brit- 
ish saw  before  them  an  impassable  ditch,  from  be- 
hind which  a  few  pieces  of  artillery,  handled  with 
the  utmost  skill,  poured  destruction  through  their 
ranks.  The  right  wing  found  the  left  of  Jackson's 
position  weak,  effected  a  lodgment  within  the  lines, 
and  might  perhaps  have  changed  the  fortunes  of  the 
campaign,  had  not  its  leader  been  instructed  that 
this  was  to  be  a  reconnoissance,  not  a  battle. 

Pakcnham  now  resolved  upon  regular  siege  opera- 
tions, and  brought  thirty  guns  from  the  fleet,  which 
in  the  night  of  the  31st  he  mounted  within  three 
hundred  yards  of  the  American  lines.  His  troops 
were  encamped  in  the  midst  of  sugar  plantations, 
and  a  considerable  portion  of  his  new  ramparts  was 
formed  of  hogsheads  of  sugar,  set  on  end. 

When  day  dawned,  and  the  Americans  saw  thirty 
guns  frowning  down  upon  them  from  high  bastions 
that  had  risen  as  if  by  magic  in  the  darkness,  the 
sight  was  rather  appalling  ;  but  as  soon  as  fire  was 
opened  upon  these  apparently  formidable  works,  it 
was  seen  that  the  balls  passed  right  through  the 
hogsheads  of  sugar,  and  the  whole  fabric  began  to 
crumble  away.  There  was  also  a  vulnerable  ele- 
ment in  Jackson's  works  ;  for  he  had   used  cotton 


iSrs.]  CAMPAIGIV  ON    THE   GULF  COAST.  341 

bales  as  his  enemy  used  sugar,  and  though  the  cot- 
ton  resisted  the  passage  of  a  ball,  it  was  easily  set 
on  fire,  and  the  bales  knocked  out  of  position. 

Commodore  Patterson  had  erected  a  battery  on 
the  opposite  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  to  rake  the 
ground  held  by  the  British,  who  at  the  same  time 
had  erected  one  on  the  levee  to  oppose  it.  For  an 
hour  those  guns  were  all  blazing  at  once  ;  and  when 
the  firing  ceased  and  the  smoke  rolled  away,  it  was 
found  that  the  British  works  had  been  completely 
ruined,  and  seventy  of  their  men  killed  or  wounded  ; 
the  American  works  were  not  seriously  damaged 
but  they  had  lost  thirty-four  men. 

Jackson  made  haste  to  throw  away  his  cotton 
bales,  supply  their  place  with  earth,  and  construct  a 
second  line  of  works  a  mile  and  a  half  in  the  rear, 
and  for  a  week  nervously  awaited  the  ne.xt  move  of 
the  enemy.  In  that  week  he  was  joined  by  nearly 
three  thousand  Kentucky  and  Louisiana  militia  ; 
but  as  they  were  in  rags  and  had  scarcely  a  firelock 
among  them,  they  could  hardly  be  considered  a 
reenforcement.  The  British  were  reenforced  by  two 
regiments  under  General  John  Lambert. 

Pakenham's  final  plan  was  to  send  a  heavy  force 
across  the  river  to  capture  Patterson's  batteries  and 
turn  them  upon  Jackson's  lines,  and  at  the  same 
time  push  forward  the  remainder  of  his  force  to  as- 


% 


342 


CAMPAIGN  OM   THE   GULF  COAST. 


[1815. 


sault  those  lines  in  front,  the  advance  guard  to  fill 
the  ditch  with  fascines  and  plant  scaling-ladders 
against  the  ramparts.  Preparatory  to  this,  it  was 
necessary  to  dig  a  canal  across  the  isthmus,  to  drag 
boats  through  from  Lake  Borgne  to  the  Mississippi, 
and  this  occupied  his  troops  nearly  six  days. 

On  Saturday,  January  7th,  Jackson  stood  upon 
the  tallest  building  within  his  lines,  and  through  a 
large  spy-glass  which  a  planter  had  mounted  for 
him,  saw  the  red-coats  making  fascines  by  binding 
up  sheaves  of  sugar-cane,  and  constructing  ladders. 
A-t  the  same  time,  Pakenham  was  surveying  the 
fVmerican  works  from  the  top  of  a  pine-tree. 

The  British  general  intended  to  make  an  attack 
on  both  sides  of  the  river  simultaneously,  before 
daylight  on  the  8th.  But  there  was  great  difficulty 
in  navigating  the  canal,  the  sides  of  which  had  caved 
in  ;  only  enough  boats  were  brought  through  to  carry 
over  five  hundred  troops,  instead  of  fourteen  hun- 
dred, and  these  were  delayed  several  hours.  A  de- 
tachment under  Colonel  Thornton  embarked  in 
them,  but  were  swept  down  hy  the  current  and 
reached  the  western  shc-e  far  below  the  intended 
landing-place. 

Meanwhile  the  sun  had  risen,  the  fog  was  rolling 
away,  Pakenham  was  impatient,  and  before  Thorn- 
ton could  get    near   his  enemy  he   saw  the  signal 


i8i5.]  CAMPAIGN  ON   THE   GULF  COAST. 


343 


rocket  which  announced  the  attack.     The  Ameri- 
cans understood  the  signal  quite  as  well  as  he  did, 
and  were  ready  to  meet  the  sLock.     One  thirty-two 
pounder  was   loaded   to   the   muzzle   with   musket- 
balls.     A  deserter  had  told  the  British  commander 
that  the  weak  spot  in  Jackson's  line  was  the  ex- 
treme left  ;  true  enough  when  he  said   it,  but  now 
that  spot  was  strengthened  by  two  thousand  Ten- 
nessee and  Kentucky  riflemen.     The  heaviest  attack 
was  accordingly  made   at  this  point,   a  column   of 
three  thousand  men,  under  General  Gibbs,  moving 
against  it.     They  were  to  be  preceded   by  an    Irish 
regiment  bearing  the  fascines  and  ladders.     At  the 
same  time,  a  column  of  one  thousand  moved  along 
the  river  road,  under  the  cross-F.re  from   Patterson's 
battery,  to  attack  Jackson's  right.      These  were  to 
be  preceded  by  a   West   India  black  regiment  with 
the  necessary  fascines    and    ladders.      Midway    be- 
tween stood  nearly  a  thousand  Highlanders,  under 
General  Keane,  ready  to  support  either  column,  as 
circumstances  might  require.      The  British  had  also 
a  battery  of  six  eighteen-pounders  ;  and,   drawn  up 
behind  all,  a  considerable  reserve. 

The  battle  was  what  Bunker  Hill  would  have 
been  if  the  Americans  had  had  stronger  works  and 
plenty  of  ammunition.  The  beautiful  British  col- 
umns moved  forward  only  to  be  mo\v<:d  down.    When 


344 


CAMPAIGN   ON    THE   GULF  COAST. 


[1815. 


the  thirty-two  pounder  discharged  its  musket-balls, 
the  head  of  one  column  melted  away  before  it,  two 
hundred  men  being  disabled.  Both  the  Irish  and 
the  Negro  regiment  failed  in  their  duty,  so  that 
when  the  main  columns  arrived  at  the  ditch  they 
had  no  means  of  crossing,  and  the  terribie  blunder 
had  to  be  remedied  under  a  continuous  and  wither- 
ing fire.  The  ranks  were  badly  broken.  Pakenham, 
trying  to  re-form  them,  was  killed,  falling  into  the 
arms  of  Captain  McDougall,  the  same  officer  who 
had  caught  General  Ross  when  he  fell  at  North 
Point.  General  Gibbs  was  wounded  mortally  ;  Gen- 
eral Keane  seriously.  Colonel  Dale  fell  at  the  head 
of  the  Highland  regiment,  which  was  almost  entirely 
destroyed.  It  went  into  the  fight  with  over  nine 
hundred  men,  and  came  out  with  one  hundred  and 
forty.  A  major  and  a  lieutenant,  with  twenty  men, 
crossed  the  ditch  before  the  American  left,  and  the 
two  officers  mounted  the  breastwork.  The  major 
was  instantly  riddled  with  bullets  ;  the  lieutenant 
demanded  the  swords  of  two  officers  who  confronted 
him,  and  was  told  to  look  behind  him.  He  turned, 
and  saw,  as  he  expressed  it,  that  the  men  he  sup- 
posed to  be  following  '*  had  vanished  as  if  the  earth 
had  opened  and  swallowed  them  up." 

On  the  American  right,  the  British  carried  a  small 
outwork  ;  but  the  guns  of  the  main  line  were  turned 


i8i5.] 


CAMPAIGN  ON    THE   GULF  COAST. 


345 


upon  it  and  cleared  it.  Of  this  column,  only  three 
men  —  a  colonel,  a  major,  and  a  captain  —  reached 
the  breastwork,  and  as  they  mounted  they  were  all 
shot  and  tumbled  into  the  ditch  together. 

The  action  lasted  but  twenty-five  minutes.  Seven 
hundred  of  the  British  were  killed,  fourteen  hundred 
wounded,  and  five  hundred  prisoners.  The  Ameri- 
cans lost  four  killed  and  thirteen  wounded  ;  in  the 
entire  campaign,  three  hundred  and  thirty-three. 

The  force  under  Thornton,  on  the  western  bank 
of  the  river,  carried  the  American  works,  where  but 
brief  resistance  was  made,  and  were  pursuing  the 
retreating  militia,  when  news  of  the  disaster  on  the 
other  bank  was  brought  to  Thornton,  together  with 
an  order  to  return.  He  had  lost  a  hundred  men, 
killed  or  wounded,  and  inflicted  a  loss  of  but  six. 

The  gth  was  spent,  under  an  armistice,  in  burying 
the  dead  and  caring  for  the  wounded.  General 
Lambert  then  determined  to  withdraw  to  the  ship- 
ping and  abandon  the  enterprise,  but  was  ten  days 
about  it,  during  which  time  his  troops  were  annoyed 
by  incessant  cannonading  by  day  and  "  hunting  par- 
ties" by  night.  The  British  fleet  had  entered  the 
Mississippi  at  its  mouth,  and  from  the  loth  to  the 
17th  bombarded  Fort  St.  Philip,  seventy-five  miles 
below  New  Orleans,  but  effected  nothing,  and  on 
the  1 8th  withdrew. 


CHAPTER   XXI. 


PEACE. 


The   Treaty  of  Ghent — Treatment   of  Prisoners — Losses  and  Gains 
by  the  Wa"-  Conclusion. 

Had  there  been  an  Atlantic  "cable,  or  even  a 
transatlantic  steamer,  with  land  telegraphs,  in  thosf: 
days,  the  slaughter  before  New  Orleans  might  have 
been  prevented  ;  for  a  treaty  of  peace  had  been 
signed  at  Ghent  on  the  24th  of  December,  18 14. 
It  made  the  usual  stipulations  for  the  exchange  of 
prisoners  and  the  return  of  property,  guaranteed 
peace  to  the  Indians,  and  provided  for  a  settlement 
by  commissioners  of  questions  as  to  boundary  and 
the  islands  in  Passamaquoddy  Bay, --and  it  pro- 
vided for  little  else.  The  negotiations  had  been 
going  on  for  five  months,  and  more  than  once  were 
in  danger  of  being  broken  off  on  account  of  the 
insolent  and  supercilious  bearing  of  the  English 
Commissioners.     So  says  Adams  in  his  diary. 

At  the  outset,  the  British  Commissioners  had  in- 
sisted that  the  Indians  should  have  a  territory  set  off 
to  them,  as  neutral  ground  between  the  British 
and  the  American  possessions,  and  that  the  United 
States  should  have  no  armament  on  the  great  lakes 


I8x5.j 


PEACE. 


347 


and  no  fortifications  on  their  shores,  while  Canada 
was  not  to  be  restricted.     On  the  other  hand,  the 
American  Commissioners  had  insisted  on  formal  ab- 
rogation of  the  right   of  search   and   impressment. 
But  all  these  points  were  ultimately  given   up.     As 
early   as   June    the   American    Commissioners   had 
been  instructed  by  the  President  that   they  might 
omit  any  stipulation  on  the  subject  of  impressment, 
if  it  was  found  indispensably  necessary  to  do  so  in 
order  to  terminate  the  war  ;  and  acting  under  this 
instruction  they  yielded  to  the  argument   that,  as 
Europe  was  now  at  peace,  there  was  no  longer  any 
occasion  for  exercising  the  right,  and  therefore  no 
practical  necessity  for  mentioning  it. 

The  treaty  was  severely  criticised  and  mercilessly 
ridiculed    as    a    meaningless    document.      It    might 
have  been  ansvvered  that  the  Federalists  at  least  had 
no  right  to  complain,  since  they  had  clamored  only 
for  peace,  and    the   treaty  brought   t.eace.     Better 
than  this,  it  might  have  been  answered  thrt  when  a 
point   has  been   practically  settled   by  war,  it   is  of 
little  consequence  whether  it  is  conceded  on  paper  ; 
since  every  nation  is  likely  to  heed  a  lesson  taught 
bX  force  of  arms,  and   equally  likely,  when   interest 
dictates,  to  abrogate  a  treaty  ;  and,  whatever  might 
be  said  of  the  campaigns  on  land,  it  could  not  be 
denied  that  American  mariners  had  abundantly  vin- 


348 


PEACE. 


[1815. 


dicated  their  right  to  an  unmolested  navigation  of 
the  higli  seas  —  a  right  which  British  cruisers  have 
never  since  interfered  with. 

There  had  been  no  exchange  of  prisoners  during 
the  war,  though  many  had  been  paroled,  and  there 
were  bitter  complaints  of  the  treatment  received  by- 
Americans  in  British  prisons.  This  was  especially 
true  of  those  confined  at  Dartmoor,  the  most  un- 
healthful  spot  in  the  dreary  highlands  of  Devon- 
shire. These  men  were  not  only  not  released,  but 
were  not  even  informed  that  peace  had  been  con- 
cluded, till  three  months  after  the  treaty  was  signed. 
There  seemed  to  be  a  special  spite  against  them  be- 
cause they  were  mostly  American  sailors,  who  had 
audaciously  and  successfully  disputed  England's 
sovereignty  of  the  seas. 

If  it  be  a  matter  of  pride,  as  an  English  poetess 
appears  to  think,  for  a  nation  to  strew  its  dead  over 
the  face  of  the  globe,*  then  Great  Britain  certainly 
won  fresh  laurels  in  this  war  ;  for  her  soldiers  who 
fell  in  it  found  graves  six  thousand  miles  apart  : 
in  the  depths  of  Lake  Erie,  about  the  great  falls  of 
Niagara,  and  along  the  Thames  and  St.  Lawrence  ; 
in  the  Atlantic,  both  near  the  American  coast  and 
almost  within  sight  of  their  own  shores  ;  in    Long 

*  Wave  may  not  foam,  nor  wild  wind  sweep, 

Where  rest  not  England's  dead. — Mrs.  Ileinans. 


\ 


i8i5.] 


PEACE. 


349 


Island   Sound,  in  the  Chesapeake,  and  beyond   the 
western  edge  of  civih-zation  ;  before  the  defences  of 
Baltimore  and   New   Orleans,  and  in  the  waters  of 
the  South    Pacific.     And  her  expeditions  had   been 
especially  fatal  to   their  commanders  :    Gen.  Brock 
had    fallen    at    Queenstown,  Gen.  Tecumsch  at  the 
Thames,  Ross  and   Sir    Peter  Parker  before    Balti- 
more,  Pakenham  and  Gibbs  at   New  Orleans,    with 
many  of  lower  rank  but  hardly  less  responsibility  ; 
while  seven  commanders  of  her  men-of-war— Lam- 
bert, Downie,  Dickenson,  Manners,  Peake,  Barrette, 
and  Bly the  —  had  all  died  on  their  bloody  decks.    But 
by  her  sacrifice  of  life  and  property  she  had  gained 
absolutely  nothing.     She  had  not  acquired  a.    inch 
of  territory,   or  established  any  principle  of    inter- 
national  law,  or  purchased  for  herself  any  new  priv- 
ilege,  or  secured  any  old  one.     The  war  had  cost 
the    United    States  a    hundred    million    dollars    in 
money,  and  thirty  thousand  lives  ;  and  a  large  por- 
tion of   both  the    money   and    the  lives    had    been 
squandered,  when  with  ordinary  skill  and  care  they 
might  have  been  saved.     But  she  had  something  to 
show  for  it.      If  she  had  not  fully  relieved  her  fron- 
tier  of  the  atrocities  of  the  Indians,  she  had  at  least 
cut  off  their  supplies  from  British  sources,  and  pos- 
sessed herself  of  all  the  western  posts  ;  she  had  put; 
an  end  to  the  systematic  violation  of  her  rights  on 


350 


PEACE. 


[I8i5- 


i 


i\ 


the  ocean,  and  in  so  doing  had  demonstrated  the 
superiority  of  American  seamanship  ;  she  had  com- 
pletely established  her  national  independence. 

It  is  lO  be  hoped  that  no  American  youth  who 
reads  this  little  history  will  cherish  any  feeling  of 
resentment  or  hatred  toward  the  people  whose 
fathers  were  so  grievously  unjust  to  ours.  The  day 
for  that  —  if  ever  there  was  a  day  for  it  —  has  gone 
completely  by.  England  has  evidently  passed  the 
zenith  of  her  power  and  glory  ;  America  is  still  ris- 
ing toward  hers,  and  how  great  she  shall  ultimately 
become,  will  be  measured  mainly  by  the  breadth 
and  generosity  of  the  American  mind.  In  the  past 
sixty  years  we  have  lived  down  the  most  celebrated 
sneer  in  history.  Five  years  after  this  war,  the 
Rev.  Sydney  Smith  wrote  in  th^  Edinburgh  Review  : 
"In  the  four  quarters  of  the  globe,  who  reads  an 
American  book  ?  or  goes  to  an  American  play  ?  or 
looks  at  an  American  picture  or  statue  ?  What 
does  the  world  yet  owe  to  American  physicians  or 
surgeons?  What  new  substances  have  their  chem- 
ists discovered,  or  what  old  ones  have  they  an- 
alyzed ?  What  new  constellations  liave  been  dis- 
covered by  the  telescopes  of  Americans?  What 
have  they  done  in  mathematics?  Who  drinks  out 
of  American  glasses,  or  eats  from  American  plates, 
or  wears   American    coats  or   gowns,    or    sleeps    in 


i8i5j 


PEACE. 


35 


American  blankets?'  Finally,  under  which  of  the 
old  tyrannical  governments  of  Europe  is  every  sixth 
man  a  slave,  ',  horn  his  fellow  citizens  may  buy  and 
sell  and  torture?"  If  Mr.  Smith  were  now  living, 
he  might  be  answered  —  if  it  were  worth  while  to 
answer  him  at  all  — that  the  most  widely  circulated 
of  all  novels  was  written  by  an  American  woman  ; 
that  the  poet  most  read  in  England  was  an  Ameri- 
can ;  that  our  two  standard  dictionaries  of  the 
English  language  are  both  American  ;  that  several 
Ameiicin  magazines  count  their  subscribers  in  Great 
Britain  by  tens  of  thousands  ;  that  the  world  owes 
its  use  of  anaesthetics  to  an  American  physiciai.  , 
that  American  sculptors,  painters,  and  actors  hold 
their  own  with  those  of  other  nations  ;  that  America 
has  the  largest  telescopes,  and  the  most  successful 
astronomers  ;  that  American  reapers  cut  the  world's 
harvests,  and  American  sewing  machines  make  its 
garments  ;  that  the  telegraph  and  the  telephone  are 
American  inventions  ;  that  the  first  steamboat  was 
built  in  America,  and  it  was  an  American  steamship 
that  first  crossed  the  Atlantic,  while  our  country 
contains  more  miles  of  railway  than  all  Europe  ; 
that  those  who  eat  from  American  plates,  eat  the 
largest  and  best  dinners  in  the  world  ;  and  as  for 
American  glasses,  altogether  too  many  people  dr'"nk 
out  of   them.     Unless    we    mercifully   left  his  fina. 


r 


352 


PEACE. 


[1815. 


question  unanswered,  we  should  be  obliged  to  say, 
that  the  United  States  had  gotten  rid  of  slaver}', 
while  to-day  five  million  British  subjects,  all  within 
two  days'  journey  of  the  throne,  tell  us  they  find 
themselves  virtually  slaves. 

Yet  with  all  our  material  and  intellectual  progress, 
we  have  hardly  a  right  to  be  proud.  For  we  have 
enjoyed  peculiar  advantages.  The  Mayfloivcr  did 
not  land  her  pilgrims  on  a  narrow  island,  but  on 
the  edge  of  a  great  continent.  Of  that  continent 
we  have  the  most  productive  zone,  stretching  from 
ocean  to  ocean,  and  a  thousand  miles  in  breadth  ; 
while  within  that  zone  our  Government  has  given 
us,  for  the  support  of  educational  institutions,  as 
much  land  as  the  entire  area  of  Great  Britain  and 
Ireland.  At  the  same  time,  we  have  not  been  loaded 
down  with  a  standing  army,  an  established  church, 
a  vast  landed  aristocracy,  and  all  the  rubbish  of 
royalty.  In  America  labor  receives  its  highest 
wages,  and  pauperism  finds  its  least  excuse.  It  will 
be  no  special  credit  to  us  if  we  become  in  the  next 
half  century  the  most  powerful  and  prosperous  and 
generous  of  nations  ;  but  it  will  be  a  great  shanu:  to 
us  if  we  do  not. 

As  we  read  the  history  of  our  country's  early 
struggles,  it  may  help  us  to  avoid  any  unworthy 
feeling  of  resentment  if  we  bear  in   mind  the  fact 


18.5.] 


PEACE. 


353 


fact 


that   there  is  a  wide  and    peculiar    discrepancy  of 
character  between  the  EngUsli  people  and  the  Va\\^- 
lish    Government.     That    people,    perhaps  at  pres- 
ent   the     most    enlightened    on    earth,    are    justly 
noted    for    their    innate     love    of     fair    play,     for 
their  continual  struggles  toward   liberty,  and  their 
development    of    the    great    principles   of   jurispru- 
dence ;  but  that   Government,  in   its   dealings  with 
other  powers,  has  been  for  centuries  arbitrary,  self- 
ish, barbarous,  and  inconsistent  to  the  last  degree. 
Priding  itself  upon  legitimacy,  it  has  befriended  a 
bloody  usurpation  in  France,  because  it  hated  the 
alternative  of  French  republicanism.     It  has  opened 
the  ports  of  China  with  its  cannon,  for  the  purpose 
of  selling   there  a  narcotic  drug  of  which  it  holds 
the  monopoly.      It  boas  ed  its  abolition  of  the  slave 
trade  ;  yet  when   our  country  was  at  war   over  the 
slavery  question,   its  sympathies  were  all  with  the 
slaveholders.     Seventy  years  ago,  as  we  have  seen, 
its  cruisers  cared  nothing  for  the  neutrality  of  any 
harbor  in   which  a  hostile  ship  of  fewer  guns  was 
riding  at  anchor  ;  but  twenty  years  ago  it  could  not 
offer  its  neutral  hospitalities  too  lavishly  to  priva- 
teers that  had  not  a  port  of  their  own  to  hail  from 
or  sail  to,  and  were  burning  all   their  prizes  at  sea 
without  adjudication.      It  witnessed  the  dismember- 
ment of  Denmark  with  scarcely  a  protest,  but  has 


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354 


PEACE. 


[1815. 


sacrificed  thousands  of  English  lives  to  maintain  the 
Turk  in  Europe.  It  has  stood  for  years  at  the  head 
of  a  great  conspiracy  to  keep  Russia  shut  up  in  the 
centre  of  a  continent  long  after  her  industrial  growth 
and  commercial  importance  have  entitled  her  to  a 
broad  and  unobstructed  outlet  to  the  highway  of 
nations.  It  has  eateii  India  into  famine,  and  is 
now  laying  its  kleptic  fingers  on  the  great  island  of 
Borneo,  and  apparently  making  ready  to  consume 
the  continent  of  Africa. 

We  must  blush  for  these  things  while  we  execrate 
them ;  for  we  ourselves  are  Englishmen.  That 
famous  little  island,  with  its  green  lanes  and  waving 
woodlands,  its  busy  towns  and  historical  hamlets, 
was  the  home  of  our  ancestors,  and  must  ever  have 
for  us  the  highest  romantic  interest  of  any  spot  on 
earth  ;  and  we  cannot  too  warmly  sympathize  with 
those  who  are  still  bearing  burdens  of  feudal  days, 
when  the  bravery  of  feudal  leadership  has  long  since 
passed  away.  Let  us  never  forget  how  near  of  kin 
we  are  to  the  English  people  ;  but  God  forbid  that 
we  shouM  inherit  the  vices  of  the  English  Govern- 
ment, or  copy  its  crimes  ! 

If  the  story  of  a  war  like  that  we  have  been  read- 
ing of  teaches  anything,  it  teaches  the  broad  wis- 
dom of  dealing  justly,  and  the  ultimate  folly  of  all 
chicanery,  violence,  and  wrong. 


'"i^'immaffK^ 


INDEX 


Adams,  John  Quincy,  American 
minister  at  St.  Petersburg,  225. 

Alexandria,  capitulation  of,  283. 

Alien,  Capt.  W.  H.,  killed,  202. 

Allen,  Col..  85  ;  killed,  88. 

Alwyn,  Master,  69. 

Angus,  Capt.,  169. 

Appling,  Major,  at  Sandy  Creek, 
256  ;  at  Plattsburg.  262. 

Armistead,  Major  George,  in  com- 
mand at  F"ort  McHenry,  288. 

Armstrong,  Gen.  John,  made  Sec- 
retary of  War.  and  plans  Wilkin- 
son's expedition,  149. 

Austin,  J.,  in  canoe  fight,  190,  191. 

Autosse,  battle  of,  187. 

Backus,  Lieut.  -  Col.     Electus,    at 

Sackett's  Harbor,  113  ;  killed.  115. 
Bailey,  Capt.,  at  Fort  Mims,  i8i. 
Edinbridge,     Com.     William,    24; 

cruise  in  the  Constitution,  78. 
Ball,  Col.,  his  fight  with  Indians,  44. 
Barclay,    Capt.    R.    H.,   on    Lake 

Erie,  128. 
Barney,    Com.  Joshua,  in  the  de- 
fence of  Washington,  275. 
Barrette,  Capt.  G.  W.,  killed,  220. 
Barron,  Capt.  James,  in  command 

of  the  Chesapeake,  10. 
Bayard,  James  A.,  made  a  peace 

commissioner,  225. 
Beasley,  Major  Daniel,  killed,  181. 
Beatty,  Col.,  at  Craney  Island,  173. 
Beaver  Dams,  fight  at,  122. 
Beckwith,  Sir  S.,  at  Hampton,  173. 
Bennett,  Major,  at  Lewiston,  164. 
Biddle,   Capt.   James,    75 ;    in  the 

Hornet,  325. 
Bisshopp,  Lieut. -Col.,  attacks  Black 

Rock,  124  ;  killed,  125. 
Bissley,  a  sailor,  his  heroism,  318. 
Black  Rock,  N.  Y.,  attack  on,  124; 

fight  at,  165,  burned  ;  166. 
Bladensburg.  battle  of,  278. 
Blakely,  Capt.,  in  the  Wasp,  320. 
Biakeslie,     Lieut. -Col.,    at     Black 

Rock,  165. 
Blockades,  12,  172. 
Blue-Lights,  origin  of  the  term,  205. 
Blythe,  Capl.  Samuel,  killed,  204. 


Boerstler,  Lieut. -Col.  C.  G.,  capt- 
ures batteries  on  the  Niagara,  99 ; 
captured  at  Beaver  Dams,  123. 

Boothbay,  fight  at,  273. 

Bounties,  224. 

Boyd,  Gen.  J.  P.,  at  Fort  George, 
108  ;  at  Chrysler's  Field,  154. 

Boyle,  Capt.,  in  the  Comet,  216. 

Brody,  Col.,  at  Lundy's  Lane,  239; 
killed,  244. 

Brant,  John,  at  Beaver  Dams,  122. 

Bridgewater,  battle  of,  244. 

British   Government,  character  of, 

35,3-54- 

Brock,  Gen.  Isaac,  assumes  com- 
mand at  Maiden,  34  ;  receives  sur- 
render of  Detroit,  36 ;  a*  Queens- 
town,  54  ;  death,  55. 

Broke,  Capt.  Vere,  65  ;  captures  the 
Chesapeake,  179. 

Brown,  Gen.  Jacob,  at  Ogdensburg, 
47;  at  Sackett's  Harbor,  113  ;  in 
Wilkinson's  expedition,  152;  his 
campaign  on  the  Niagara,  231. 

Brownstown,  fight  at,  31. 

Buffalo  burned,  166. 

Burn,  Col.,  at  Fort  George,  tii. 

Burnt  Corn  Creek,  fight  at,  179. 

Burrows,  Lieut.  Wm.,  killed,  204. 

Bush,  Lieut.,  6g. 

Caller,  Col.  James,, in  Creek  cam- 
paign, 179. 

Canada,  invasion  of  planned,  26. 

Canoe-fight,  Dale's,  188. 

Carronades  described,  76. 

Cass,  Col.  Lewis,  in  Detroit  cam- 
pai;;n,  32-37 ;  made  provisional 
governor  of  Michigan,  14S. 

Castine,  Me.,  captured,  269. 

Castlereagh,  Lord,  quoted,  15. 

Champlin,  Capt.  Guy  R.,  his  fight 
in  the  Armstrong,  218. 

Chandler,  Ger.,at  Stony  Creek,  11 8. 

Ciiapin,  Maj.,  at  Boaver  Dams,  124. 

Charlotte,  N.  Y.,  stores  captured  at," 
121  ;  bombarded,  225. 

Chateaugua,  battle  of,  157. 

Chauncey,  Com.  Isaac,  on  Lake 
Ontario,  98  ;  pursues  Yeo,  125  ; 
captures  four  vessels,  148. 


356 


INDEX. 


Chesapeake,  fripfate,  attacked  by  the 
Leopard,  lo. 

Chicago,  battle  of,  33. 

Chippewa,  battle  of,  233. 

Chrysler's  Field,  battle  of,  154. 

Chryslie,  Lieut.  -  Col.  John,  at 
(^iieenstown,  51. 

Claiborne,  Gen.  F.  L.,  in  Creek 
ranipaifjn.  187  ;  governor  of  Lou- 
isiana,  T,},!,. 

Clay,  Gen.  Green,  relieves  Fort 
Meigs,  91. 

Clay,  Henry,  made  a  peace  ccm- 
niissioner,  226. 

Cochrane,  Admiral,  in  the  burning 
of  Washmgton,  282. 

Cockburn,  Admiral,  ravages  the 
coasts  of  the  Chesapeake,  170 ;  in 
the  campaign  against  Washing- 
ton, 277. 

Cocke,  Gen.  John,  in  Creek  cam- 
paign, 183. 

Coffee,  Col.  John,  in  Creek  cam- 
paign, 183 ;  at  Horseshoe  Bend, 
228  ;  at  New  Orleans,  335. 

Coombs,  Leslie,  84. 

Cooper,  Capt.,  at  Hampton,  175. 

Cost  of  the  northern  campaigns,  160. 

Covington,  Gen.  L.,  killed,  155. 

Cowell,  Lieut.  J.  G.,  his  heroic 
death,  317. 

Craney  Island,  fight  at,  172. 

Creek  Indians  supplied  with  arms 
by  British  agents,  178;  Jackson's 
campaign  against  them,  179. 

Crockett,  David,  in  Creek  cam- 
paign, 183. 

Croghan,  Major,  at  Fort  Stephen- 
son, 94  ;  at  Michilimackinac,  259. 

Crutchfield,  Major,  at  Hampton, 
174. 

D.\CRES,  Capt.,  loses  the  Guerriere, 
70. 

Dale,  Col.,  krlled,  344. 

Dale,  Gen.  S.,  his  canoe-fight,  188. 

Darnell,  Elias,  his  journal,  39. 

Dartmoor,  prisoners  at,  348, 

Davis,  John,  his  heroism,  2x6. 

Dearborn,  I*"ort,  32. 

Dearborn,  Gen.  Henry,  placed  in 
command  of  United  States  army, 
23  ;  enters  into  an  armistice,  49  ; 
on  the  Niagara,  ii8. 

Decatur,  Com.  Stephen,  his  cruise 
in  the  United  Slates,  76  ;  driven 


into   New   London,  204  ;    in  the 

President,  325 
Decrees,  the  Berlin  and  Milan,  12,15. 
De  Haren,  Major,  at  Beaver  Dams, 

'23. 

Dennis,  Capt.,  at  Queen.stown,  52. 

Deserters,  reclamation  of,  7-10. 

Desha,  Capt.,  wounded,  259. 

Diron,  Capt.,  in  the  I^ecatur,  220. 

Dorchester,  Lord,  calls  a  council  of 
Indians,  3. 

Douglass,  Major,  at  Fort  Erie,  246. 

Downes,  Lieut.  J.,  with  Porter,  295. 

Downie,  Com.  George,  at  Platts- 
burg,  262  ;  killed,  267. 

Drummond,  Gen.,  takes  revenge  for 
the  burning  of  Newark,  162  ;  be- 
sieges Fort  Erie,  244. 

Drummoiid,  Lieut. -Col.,  at  Fort 
Erie,  246  ;  killed,  247. 

Dudley,  Col.,  at  Fort  Meigs,  91. 

E.\STPORT,  Me.,  captured,  268. 
Econochaca,  battle  of,  187. 
Elliott,  Lieut.  Jesse  D.,  his  exploit 

on  the  Niagara,  48 ;  in  battle  of 

Lake  Erie,  132. 
Embargo,  13  ;  of  1813,  206. 
Emucfau,  fight  at,  227. 
Enotachopco  Creek,  fight  at,  227. 
Erie,  Fort,  captured  by  the  Ameri* 

cans,  232  ;  beseiged  by  the  British, 

244. 
Erie,  Lake,  building  vessels  on,  127  ; 

battle  of,  130 ;  Indian  battle  on, 

136. 
Eustis,  Hon.  Wm.,  26. 

Fanning,  Lieut.,  at  Sackett's  Har- 
bor, 115. 

Farrag'it,  David  G.,  in  battle  of 
Essex  and  Phoebe,  314 ;  extracts 
from  his  journal,  314. 

Fitzgibbon,  Lieut.,  at  Beaver  Dams, 
123. 

Floyd,  Gen.  John,  in  Creek  cam- 
paign, 187. 

Forsyth,  Capt.,  at  Gananoqui,  46  ; 
at  York,  100 ;  at  Fort  George,  108 ; 
in  Wilkinson's  expedition,  152. 

Fort  Wayne,  siege  of,  40. 

Frankhn,  Benj.,  his  prediction,  i. 

Fredericktown,  Md.,  ravaged,  171. 

Frenchtown,  battle  of,  85. 

Gaines,  Gen.,  takes  command  on 
the  Niagara,  244  ;  disabled,  249. 


"■'•pi' .  I  Nj^pfippmni^np' 


I.VDEX. 


357 


Gallatin.  Albert,  made  a  peace  com- 
missioner, 225. 
Gamble,  Lieut.,  in  Typee  campaign, 

300. 
Gananoqui,  fight  at.  46. 
Gattanewu,  llajjpah  chief,  298. 
George  III.  quoted,  2. 
George,  Fort,  capture  of,  107. 
Georgetown,  iMd.,  ravaged,  171. 
Ghent,  Treaty  of,  346-7. 
Gibbs,  Gen.  Samuel,  at   New  Or- 
leans, 339  ;  killed,  344. 
Gleig,  Lieut.,  quoted,  336,  338. 
Gray,  Col.,  at  Sackett's'Harbor,  115. 
Hall,  Gen.,  at  Buffalo,  164. 
Hamilton,  Lieut.,  at  Fort  Madison 

44- 
Hampden,  Me.,  captured.  270. 
Hamjjton,  Va.,  destroyed,  17^. 
■Hampton,  Gen.  W.,  his  connection 
with  Wilkinson's  expedition,  150  ; 
defeated  by  De  Salaberry,  159. 
Hancock,  Major,  at  La  Colle,  252. 
Hanson,  ,\le.\ander,   mobbed,  2r. 
Hardy,  Sir  Thomas,  his  expeditions 

on  the  eastern  coast,  268. 
Harrison,  Fort,  fight  at,  41. 
Harrison,  Gen.  \Vm.   H.,   in   com- 
mand in  the  West,  38,  55,  84  ;  his 
camiiaign  on  the  Thames,  140. 
Hartford  Convention,  326. 
Havre  de  Grace  destroyed,  170. 
Heald,  Capt.  Nathan,   in  battle  of 

Chicago,  32. 
Henley,  Lieut.,  at  Plattsburg,  266. 
Hillabee  towns,  fight  at,  186. 
Hillyar,   Capt.  James,   sent  out  in 
search  of  the  Es.sex,  310  ;  captures 
'   her,  313. 
Hindmaii,  Capt.,  at  Fct  George, 

ic8  ;  in  Brown's  campaign,  232. 
Hislop,  Gen.,  captured,  80. 
Holmes   Major,  killed,  259. 
Hoophole  Creek,  fight  at,  157. 
Horseshoe  Bend,  bottle  of,  228. 
Hough.  Lieut.,  at  Stonington.  273 
Houston.  Sam,  in  Creek  campaiirn 
183,  228.  ^    ^  ' 

Hull,  Capt.    Isaac,   his  race  in  the 
Constitution,    66;     captures  the 
Uuerriere,  68. 
Hull,  Gen.  William,  his  campaign, 

and  surrender  of  Detroit,  28-37. 
Indians,  armed  for  depredation  by 
the  British,  3. 


Ii-vine.  Cr.pt.  Arm.strong.  at  Chrys- 
ler's 1-ield.  156. 
Isaacs,  Midshipman,  -515. 
Izard,  Gen,  (ieorge,  on  the  Cliatcau- 
gua,     159;    succeeds    Wilkinson, 
255 ;  fiasco  on  the  Niagara,  258. 
Jackson,  Gen.  Andrew,  takes  com- 
mand   of    Tennessee   voliuiteers, 
183  ;  campaign  against  the  Creeks, 
183  ;  second  campaign  agamst  the 
Creeks  227  ;  his  campaign  on  the 
Gulf    coa.st,  332  ;    his  victory  at 
New  Orleans,  343. 
Jesuj),    Major,    his'  plan   to   invade 
Canada,   26 ;  at  Chippewa,  235 ; 
at  Lundy's  Lane,  2:59. 
Johnson,  Lieut.-Col.  James,  at  bat- 
tle of  the  Thames,  144. 
Johnson,  John,  his  heroism,  216 
Johnson,  Col.  R.  JI..  jn  Harrison's 
campaign,    140  ;  kills  Tecumseh, 
145. 
Jones,    Capt.   Jacob,    sails    in    the 
Wasp,  73. 

Ki:ank,  Gen.,  at  New  Orleans,  ui; 

wounded,  344. 
Kerr,  Capt.,  at  Beaver  Dams,  122. 
Key,  Francis  S.,  how  he  wrote  the 

"  Star-Spangled  1-tanner,"  288. 
Kmg,  Major,  at  York,  loi. 
La  Colle  Mill,  fight  at,  251. 
Lafitte,    Jean,    in    Jackson's    cam- 
^  Pai«:n,  332. 

Lambert,  Capt.,  killed.  80. 
Lambert,  Gen.  John,  at  New  Or- 
leans, 341. 
Lang,  John,  his  exploit,  74. 
Larrabee,  Lieut.,  at  La  Colle,  2S2. 
Lathrop,  Lieut.,  at  Stomiigton,  27^ 
Lawrence,  Capt.  James,  sails  m  the 
Hornet,  79  ;  defeats  the  I'eacock, 
195  ;  defeated  in  the  Cheshpeake, 
197;  killed,  199. 
Lawrence,  Maj.  W.,  at  Mobile,  -^u. 
Leavenworth,  Major,  at  Chiiipewa, 
235  ;  at  Lundy's  Lane,  2:59;  killed, 
244. 

Lee,    Gen.   Henry,  assists   Hanson 

«;'iinst  rioters,  22. 
Leonard,  Capt.,  at    Fort    Niagara, 

163  ;  at  Plattsburg,  262. 
Lewis,  Col.,  85. 

Lewistown,  Del.,  bombarded,  168. 
Lewiston,  N.  Y.,  burned,  164. 
Lingan,  Gen.  James  M.,  killed,  22. 


3S8 


INDEX. 


I-oiiff-lop:  Lane,  battle  of,  287. 
I.uiuly's  Lane,  battle  of,  239. 

McAkiiujr,  Col.,  in  Detroit  cam- 
IJui^rn.  .^2. 

Mct'lure,  (len.  Georpe,  his  perform- 
ances on  the  Niajjara,  101. 

McDonall,  Lieut. -Col.,  at  Michili- 
niaokinac,  259. 

.McDonell,  Lieut. -Col.,  at  Queens- 
town,  55. 

MiDonough,   Lieut.,  at  Fort  Erie, 

-47- 
Macdonouf^h,     Lieut.    Thomas,   at 

riattsburg,  264. 
McDougall,  Capt.,  at  New  Orleans, 

.^44- 

Mclarland,  M.ijcjr,  killed,  244. 

McHenry,  Fort,  boniliarded,  287. 

McKni{;ht,  Lieut.,  in  Typee  cani- 
l^ais;-!!,  .-505. 

McNeil,  Major,  at  Chippewa,  2VS  ; 
;it  Luiid)'s  Lane,  '2^f)  ;  killed,  244. 

Macomb,  Cien.  Alexander,  at  I'ort 
(ieor^e,  T08  ;  in  Wilkinson's  ex- 
pedition, 152  ;  at  Plattsburfj,  261. 

Mcpherson,  Capt.,  at  La  CoUe,  252. 

JIadison,  l'"ort,  fight  at,  43. 

JLidison,  James,  President  of  the 
United  States,  recommends  a  dec- 
laraiion  of  war,  16  ;  at  Bladens- 
burj;,  278. 

Madison,  Major,  at  Frenchtown,  88. 

Maf^uaya,  fij,dit  at.  32. 

i^Ialden,  Hull's  forces  at,  29,  30. 

Manchester,  N.  Y.,  burned,  164. 

Maimers,  Capt.,  killed,  321. 

Manowa,  Chief,  his  exploit,  230. 

Martin,  sloop-of-war,  fipht  with,  i6g. 

Meij^s,  I'ort,  siege  of,  90. 

Melville,    Capt.,  at    Sandy    Creek, 

'■257- 
Michilimackinac    captured    by    the 

British,  30  ;   American  expedition 

against,  258. 
Miller,  Col.  James,  at  Maguaga,  31  ; 

at  Lundy's  Lane,  242. 
Miller,  Col.  John,  at  Fort  Meigs,  91. 
Mills,  Col,  killed,  114. 
Minis,  Fort,  mas.sacre  at,  179. 
Mitchell,    Lieut. -Col.,    at    Oswego, 

254- 

Mobile,  battle  at,  3,^. 

Monroe,  Jas.,  at  Hladensbnrg,  278. 

Montgomery,  ALijor  L.  P.,  at  Horse- 
shoe Rend,  229  ;  killed,  230. 


Moorf.elds,  fight  at,  28.5. 
Moravian  Town  destroyed,  147. 
Morris,  Capt.,  at  Hampden,  2139. 
Morris,  Lieut.,  6g. 
Murray,  Col.,  at  Fort  Niagara,  163. 

N.WAL  Rapti.ks  : 

Argus  and  Pelican,  202. 

Armstrong  aiul  (^ueen,  214  ;  and 
an  F.nglish  frigate,  218;  de- 
stroyed at  I'ayal,  322. 

Chesa[)eake  and  Shannon,  197. 

Comet  against  four  vessels,  216. 

Constitution  and  (iuerriere,  67 ; 
and  Java,  79 ;  and  Cyane  and 
Levant,  325. 

Decatur  and  Dominica,  220. 

Dolphin  and  two  vessels,  217. 

Knlerjirise  and  Poxer,  202. 

Lssex  and  Alert,  65  ;  and  Phoebe 
and  Cherub,  310. 

Globe  against  two  packets,  221. 

Grampus  and  a  sloop,  221. 

Hornet  and  Peacock,  195. 

Hornet   (another)   and    Penguin, 

.325- 
Lake  Erie,    Perry's  victory,    130; 

an  Indian,  136. 
Lottery  against  barges,  218. 
Peacock  and  ICpervier,  320. 
Plattsburg,  Macdonough's  victory, 

263. 
President  and  Belvidera,  64  ;  and 

Kndymion,  325  ;  and  Little  Bel  , 

62. 
Saratoga  and  Morgiana,  221. 
Tompkins  and  a  frigate,  215, 
L'nited   Stales  and   Macedonian, 

75- 
Wasp  and  Avon,  321  ;  and  Bream, 
220  ;  and  I'rolic,  73  ;  and  Rein- 
deer, 320. 
Yankee  and  Kagle.  222. 

Navy,  British,  si/e  of.  23. 

Navy,  U.  S.,  size  of  at  o]ientng  of 
war,  23  ;  proposal  to  lay  up,  23. 

Negro  sailors,  protection  denied  to, 
206. 

Newark,  burned,  162. 

New  London,  Conn.,  American  ves- 
sels blockaded  at,  204. 

New  Orleans,  British  forces  appear 
before,  336 ;  first  battle,  337  ;  sec- 
ond battle,  342, 

Newspapers,  F.ngli.sh, cited,  6,  71,  72, 
78,  21;,  222,  225,  284,  285,  .vc- 


J^DliX. 


Niag:ara,  battle  of,  244. 

la'a^'^^'  ^'°'"^'*-"^Pl"'«^ncl  massacre. 
Norlli  Point,  battle  of.  286 
Ogdensburg,    expedition    against, 

47- 
Old  Ironsitles,  81. 
O'Neill,  at  Havre  de  Grace,  170. 
Orders  ni  Council,  12    16 
0^-vvej;o,   Veos   expedition  against, 

Pakeniiam,    Gen.    Sir   Edward,  in 
command    before    New  Orleans 
339  ;  killed,  3+4. 

Parker,  Sir  Peter,  killed,  286. 

latterson.  Com.,  sent  against  La- 
fitte,  333  ;  at  New  Orleans,  341 

1  eace  negotiations,  223 

Peake,  Capt.,  killed,  195. 

Pearce,  Col.,  at  York,  103. 

Pearson,  Lieut. -Col.,  at  Chippewa, 

Percy,  Capt.,  at  Mobi>,  .  374. 
Perry.  Capt.  ().  II.,  at  PynTGeorge, 

108  ;  e.xplo,is  on  Lake  Erie,  127 
^  in  I  names  campaign,  141. 
Perry,  Capt.,   commands  a  battery 

on  the  Potomac,  284. 
Pensacola,    occupied     by    Jackson, 

PeVtigrew,  Lieut.,    captures  stores, 
107.  ' 

Pike,  Gen  Zeb.  M.,  in  expedition 
against  York,  loi  ;  death,  103. 

Plattsburg,  battle  of,  261. 

\  onisett,  Joel  R.,  United  States  Con- 
sul at  Valparaiso,  demands  pro- 
tection  for  the  Essex,  313. 

Political  parties,  explanation,  16. 

loiter,  Capt.  D.ivid,  commands  a 
battery  on  the  Potomac,  284  ;  his 
cruise  in  the  Pacific,  200 

Porter,  Col. M.,  at  Fort  George  loo 

Porter    Gen.    Peter    B.,    at^  bS 
Kock,  125  ;  in  Brown's  campaign. 
231  ;  at  Charlotte,  2<;? 
Poultneyville,  N.  Y.,  fight  at,  2s6 
Pra.ne  du  Chien  captured.  28 

sr-f '..^"0   ^"'   ^-^"••^'^.  attacks 

backetts   Harbor,   112;  his  inva- 

sion  of  New  York,  260. 
Prisoners,  twenty-three  of  them  held 

tor  trial,  59;  treatment  of,  148 
Privateers,  207  ;  Jefferson's  opinion 

01,  208  ;  abolished   by  the  Treaty 


359 


of  Paris,  210;  some  of  their  cap- 
tures, 2J  2;  some  of  their  battles 
215.  ' 

Proctor,    Col.     Henry,    i„     Detroit 
campaign  31  ;   u  I'lenchtown,  86  : 
II.  1  lianies  campaign,  141 
I  ryor,  Capt.,  at  Hampton,  "174. 
I  urdy,  Col  ,  on  the  Chateaugua,  158. 
Putnam,  Major,  at  EastportV  26a. 
QuEicNSTovvw,  battle  of,  49. 
Race,  a  celebrated  naval,  66 
Kaism,  massacre  at  t!je,  8g 
Kandall   Col.,  at  Stonington,  273. 
Ked  Jacket  at  Chippewa,  234.    '^ 
Keid   Capt.  Samuel  C,  in  Ihe  Gen- 

eial  Armstrong,  322 
Wiea,  Capt.,  at  Ko>t  Vvayne,  40. 
Kiall,  Gen.,   burns    villages   on   the 
.Niagara    ,64;  at  Chippewa,  232  ; 
at^Lundys  Lane,  239;  captured, 

Riot  in  Baltimore,  21 

Ripley,    Gen.    E.    W.,  succeeds  to 

coinmand  at  Lundy's  Lane,  243. 
Rochester.  N.  Y.   231 

^^62%"'  <^"'"-J"hn.  "naval  battles, 

Ross,  Gen.,  his  expedition  against 
Washington    274  ;  killed,  28^87. 

Kottenberg,  Gen.  de,  attacks  VVil- 
kinson's  expedition,  153. 

Ruff,  negro  boy,  drowned,  318. 

Rule  of  1756,  ,1.        •  '^    • 

Russell,  Jonathan,  made  a  peace 
commissioner,  226. 

Russian  Government  offers  media- 
tion, 225. 

SACK'ETT'sH.ARnoR,  attack  on,  in. 
St.  <  lair.  Commander  A rth.,  his  ex- 

pedition  to  Michilimackinan,  2^8 
St  Leonard's  Creek,  fight  in,  27c;." 
Salaberry,    Lieut. -Col.    de,   defeats 

Hampton,  157. 
Sandy  Creek,  fight  at,  256 
Scalps,  bounty  offered  for,  3    170, 
Scituate,  Mass.,  shipi)ing  burned  at, 

273- 
Scott,  Lieut. -Col.  Winfield,  at 
yueenstown,  52  ;  his  repartee  8-  • 
at  I'ort  George,  108  ;  at  ILxjphoIe 
^reek,  J57;  march  from  Platts- 
burg i«  Buffalo,  231  ;  at  Cliippe- 


S(>o 


INDEX, 


wa,  23,^ ;  at  Luncly's  Lane,  239 ; 
his  bad  memory,  330. 

Seamen,  impressment  of,  8-10. 

Servant,  C'apt.,  at  Hampton,  174. 

Sluler,  Capt.  N.,  his  sea-fight,  215. 

Shead,  Sail.iig  Master,  in  fight  with 
sloop  Martin,  i6g. 

Sheatfe,  Gen.  Roger  H.,at  Queens- 
town,  54 ;  at  York,  100. 

Siielby,  Gov.,  in  Harrison's  cam- 
paign, 140. 

Sheldon,  Lieut.,  at  La  Colle,  252. 

Short,  Lieut.-CoL,  his  ideas  about 
quarter,  95. 

Smith,  Sydney,  quoted,  350. 

Sodus,  N.  Y.,  burned,  121. 

Southcomb,  Capt.,  his  fight  in  the 
Lottery,  218. 

Springs,  definition  of,  313,  note. 

Stafford,  Capt.  W.  S.,  his  cruise  in 
the  Dolphin,  217. 

Stansbury,  Gen.,  at  Bladensburg, 
279. 

"Star-Spangled  Banner,"  how  it 
was  written,  288. 

Stephenson,  Fort,  siege  of,  94. 

Stewart,  Capt.  Charles,  24 ;  in  the 
Constitution,  325. 

Stone,  Col.,  burns  St.  Davids,  ^and 
is  court-martialed,  238. 

Stonington,  Conn.,  bombarded,  270. 

Stony  Creek,  battle  of,  118. 

Strieker,  Gen.,  at  North  Point,  286. 

Swartwout,  Gen.  Robert,  at  Chrys- 
ler's Field,  154. 

Swift,  Gen.  J.,  at  Poultneyville,  256. 

Talladf.ga,  battle  of,  185. 

Talluschatches,  battle  of,  184. 

Tar-cha-chee,  death  of,  192. 

Taylor,  Gen.  Robert  R.,  at  Hamp- 
ton, 177. 

Taylor,  Capt.  Zachary,  at  Fort  Har- 
rison, 41. 

Tecumseh,  at  Maguaga,  32 ;  his 
scheme,  38  ;  at  Fort  Meigs,  92  ; 
his  rebuke  of  massacre,  93 ;  in 
Thames    campaign,    144 ;   killed, 

145- 

Thames,  battle  of  the,  140. 

Thornton,  Col.,  at  N.  Orleans,  342. 

Thornton,  Dr.,  saves  the  Patent 
Office,  282. 

Towson,  Capt.,  in  Brown's  cam- 
paign, 235 ;  at  Fort  Erie,  245. 

Tuscarora,  In'.  Y.,  burned,  164. 


Tuttle,    Lieut. -Col.,    at    Sackett's 

Harbor,  116. 
Typee  Valley,  Porter's  campaign  in, 

297. 

Upmam,  Lieut. -Col.,  at  Chrysler's 
Field,  156, 

Van  Hornk,  Major  Thomas  B.,  at 

Hrosviistown,  31. 
Van  Lloyd       apt.,  at  Fayal,  323. 
Van  Renssciaer,   Lieut. -Col.  Sol.  at 

battle  of  Queenstown,  50. 
Van    Rensselaer,  Gen.  Stephen,  in 

command  on   the  >'''agara,  49. 
Vincent,  Gen.,  at  Slony  Creek,  117. 

Wad.sworth,    Gen.    William,    at 

Queenstown,  56. 
Walbach,  Adjt.-Gen.,  at  Chrysler's 

Field,  156. 
War,    its  issue  determined   by  the 

battle-ground,  24. 
Wareham,  Mass.,  raid  on,  273. 
Warren,  Admiral,   joins  Cockburn 

in  the  Chesapeake,  171. 
Warrington,   Capt.    Lewis,    in    the 

Peacock,  320. 
Washington,       Ross's       campaign 

against,  274;   burned,  282. 
Weathersford,  Wm.,  at  I'ort  Mims, 

180  ;  at  the  canoe-fight,  189. 
Whinyates,  Capt.,  loses  the  Frolic, 

73- 

White,  Gen.  in  Creek  campaign, 
186. 

Whitley,  Col.,  killed,  147. 

Wilkinson,  Gen.  James,  his  expedi- 
tion toward  Montreal,  149 ;  his  last 
invasion  of  Canada,  2.51. 

Wilmer,  Lieut.,  killed,  318. 

Winchester,  Gen.,  his  expedition, 84. 

Winder,  Gen.  Wm.  H.,  at  Stony 
Creek,  118;  in  command  before 
Washington,  276. 

Wood,  Capt.,  quoted,  93. 

Wool,  Capt.  John  E.,  at  Queens- 
town, 52  ;  at   Plattsburg,  262. 

Woolsey,  Lieut. -Com.,  in  the  Onei- 
da, 98  ;  at  Sandy  Creek,  256. 

Worth,  Lieut.,  Wm.  J.,  at  Chrys- 
ler's F'ield,  156. 

Yeo,  Sir  James  Lucas,  attacks 
Sackett's  Harbor,  112;  at  Char- 
lotte and  Sodus,  121. 

York,  expedition  against,  ico,  122. 

Youngstown,  N.  Y.,  burned,  164. 


